Harry Potter and the Forced Hero: Rewrite
by Kaeim
Summary: Harry Potter was abandoned at a early age, but was found and given to a local street gang, how will Dumbledore and co. react to a fully independant Potter, uncooperative Potter, a drug taking, hard rock playing, Muggle Minded Potter? Rewrite of the story
1. Dursleys

**Harry Potter and the forced Hero**

**Hey guys, I'm back and I'm writing this story again! I've decided to rewrite it all, because I feel that it's just missing some things in the story that would make it so much better. Please, do review on the story, because I love to read your feedback. It helps me to rewrite the story in better detail, and to make it much better for your reading purposes.**

**I doubt that very much will change in the story. However, there will be some major changes, such as his ****love life. I doubt that he will be sorted into another House, of course, I could always be persuaded otherwise…just review giving me a decent argument why he should be in that particular house.**

**Anyway, I hope to hear from you all soon.**

**Peace out, Kaeim.**

**Beta-ed by the wonderful, awesome, ect. ect. P.R.M.A.S.**

A six year old Harry screamed as he was thrown into the cupboard again. His back hit the back of the cupboard, where the majority of his bruises were located. Another one of his scabs broke again, and fresh blood poured down his back, again.

Life, for the young Mr. Potter, had always been difficult for him. Ever since he had been abandoned by his freak parents who had died in a car crash after his father, a systematic wife-beater, (so Aunt Petunia had hissed at him) who had a disgusting wife who deserved every beating she got, (so Uncle Vernon had yelled at him) and had crashed into a bus full of innocent people, who had died because his father had been drunk at the time. And Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, out of the kindness of their hearts, had taken in Harry instead of leaving him in the streets to die, even though he deserved it.

Ever since his abandonment by his parents, things had more or less stayed the same for Harry. At school, he was constantly picked on by the children. Boys punched and pushed him at school; girls pinched and spread rumors about him. Harry would've been content, however, had it not been for a certain group of people who were centered around his cousin, Dudley. They had it in for him since day one. Harry knew that if it hadn't been for him, he would've been accepted in the school. Perhaps, Harry sometimes dared to dream, even have a friend all to himself. But he deserved it; there was no doubt about that! He was a repulsive, disgusting, ugly little _freak _who ought to have been put down at birth!

In short, for a small boy of the age of six, he was quite mature. Harry didn't know it, but the constant cruelties and harshness that had been thrown in his path were major factors in forcing him to abandon his childhood. Even with his newfound maturity, he was still prey to the whims of his relatives. Just like now.

It had been after his standard beating yesterday that Harry suddenly had agonizing pains in his stomach. But one of the rules that Uncle Vernon had installed into him was to never speak of what his relatives did to him, and to never talk to any authority teachers. That policy had gotten him into trouble at school, when he never answered the questions that his teachers had asked. They had given him up as a bad job, and as a result of that, he had been ignored by the teachers. His class work was atrocious, it was expected of him. Dudley was obviously the smarter person, Harry was just a _freak_. He didn't deserve kindness. He needed punishment.

It was during one of those punishments that Harry had found himself with an acute stomach pain. Harry had ignored it, of course, not showing any pain to his uncle as he had been repeatedly told to not show any pain. He had crawled into his cupboard to once again curl up into a ball and try and ignore his pains caused by his beating before trying to get some sleep.

In the night, however, Harry woke up again, almost crying with the pain that had erupted in his stomach. But he couldn't cry. If he did, then he would wake up Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia from their well-earned rest. Then they would have to stay up all night, and he would have to be taught another lesson. Therefore, he remained silent. He quietly sobbed his eyes out as the pain in his stomach every so often erupted in a bout of acute pain. He remained curled in his ball, desperately begging for sleep.

Suddenly another massive pain hit Harry and he only just avoided screaming by biting his own tongue hard, causing blood to seep into his mouth, out of his red lips and down his deathly pale coloured skin.

Pain…there was so much pain. He felt agony, he felt so much hurt. How could he live on like this? How could anyone do this to him? What had he done to deserve this, Harry asked himself mentally. Fresh tears poured down his face, and snot ran freely. He clutched his stomach with one hand, and wiped his nose with his other arm, not caring that it only caused the mucus and tears to be spread across his face.

Another pain hit him, and Harry couldn't help it, he felt blackness spread from the corner of his eyes, he felt his body collapse under the twin weight of pain and tiredness. Somehow, Harry's last thought pondered as he fell to the darkness; somehow, this was going to really cause him a great deal of pain in the morning…

--

Vernon boomed his way down the stairs, taking deliberate care to stamp on the stairs directly above the freak's room, which would cause dust to fall on his bed. Speaking of the freak, why didn't the house smell like breakfast? It usually did at this time of day. Petunia wasn't up, she was upstairs basking in her beauty sleep like she deserved. And while she was a wonderful woman, she certainly wasn't a morning person.

Vernon wandered into the kitchen, expecting to find his meal cooked and ready waiting for him on a plate on the kitchen table. However, to his shock and dismay, the kitchen was unused, no food was ready and the table wasn't set. The _freak _had been neglecting his duties!

Snarling in rage, Vernon stormed out of the kitchen and to the tiny cupboard underneath the stairs, where the boy had been living for as long as he had been here, ever since that day those damned people had left him on their doorstep, expecting them to look after and feed him, all for nothing! It had only been after great deliberation that Petunia had decided that they would look after the boy, but only if he would work to the very bone for them. And he had, of course. He had been trained well. Until this morning, that is.

Without knocking, Vernon pulled the cupboard door open, crouching down and reaching a hand out to grab the boy by his collar. The boy was currently curled up. Vernon's attention was so focused on the boy, that he didn't notice the pool of blood that had gathered around the prone object. As Vernon pulled the boy out of the cupboard, he opened his mouth to start yelling at the boy, his hands just an instant away from shaking him, when he noticed a bloody stain on the side of the boy's shirt.

Curious now, Vernon tugged at the boy's shirt, ripping it in places. As he lifted the shirt, he let out an involuntarily gasp of shock. There was a lump on the boy's side, just below his ribs and above his waist. He poked it experimentally, ignoring the gasp of pain from the boy, who appeared to have just awoken from his self-imposed blackout. Ignoring the boy, he turned his head inside the cupboard, wincing as he saw the huge amount of blood that was there. The boy shouldn't be alive, should he?

His face suddenly darkened. It was that damned power wasn't it? One of those things that made normal decent people different from those _freaks_. _Magic_. It must've been that that had saved the boy. But the damage had been done. The lump was still there, and blood still poured weakly from the wound. The boy looked likely to die from his injury.

'Petunia!' Vernon roared upstairs. He waited a few moments before his wife; still sleepy appeared at the top of the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

'Yes, Vernon?' She said drowsily, one of her hands clutching to the banister to support her.

'The boy,' Vernon said simply, watching as his wife's eyes light up with both desperation and disgust. He hated it when his wife was affected like this; he constantly saw those two emotions every time her eyes landed on the freak. She had nothing but hatred for those _people _who dared to approach them and force them to do their bidding. As though they were nothing other than simple cattle! They had both worked hard for their current lives, but then _They_ came and ruined their normal lives. Perhaps Dudley was infected by the freak. In any case, they did their best to keep Dudley away from the boy, and if there was any contact, he was to treat the freak with the utmost hostility, like any normal person would if they were faced with him.

'Well? What's wrong with him,' Petunia said with disgust in her voice. It was as though he didn't and shouldn't exist in Petunia's mind. Maybe she intended it to be this way. As far as she was concerned, there was no doubt that it wasn't for the best.

Vernon wouldn't know, of course. He'd never had any experience with these _Freaks _other than with the boy. It was Petunia who had to suffer with her sister and her boyfriend. She knew exactly what they were and what they could do to their family. She had hatred in her mind whenever she deigned to think upon _Them_. Why she had that hatred in the first place, Vernon had no idea, but she knew best, he supposed.

'There's something wrong with his side,' Vernon said, ignoring the boy who had once again curled up into a ball. 'There's some kind of lump there, and he's bleeding heavily.'

Petunia looked at the boy's side. 'It doesn't seem to be bleeding that badly,' she stated, looking puzzled. In response, Vernon pointed inside the cupboard. Petunia poked her horsy head in, quickly backing out again within a few seconds, distaste on her face. Vernon looked at her curiously, wondering what to do.

'Perhaps we should take him to the hospital, Petunia?'

She shook her head distractedly. 'We can't do that. They'll take one look at him and scream "abuse"! They'll take our darling Dudley from us, and everything we have will be ruined.' She chewed her bottom lip distractedly, her face clearly thinking. Finally, after several anxious moments of waiting by Vernon, Petunia's face cleared, becoming decisive.

'We'll have to get rid of him.' She said simply.

Vernon gaped. 'But Petunia, what about _Them_?'

She shook her head distractedly. 'It won't matter about them, Vernon. It doesn't matter what they do or don't want anymore. I certainly don't want him in this house any longer, and there is no way whatsoever that I will be taking him back in any longer.'

'But the letter…'

'Screw the letter!' Petunia said suddenly, her face showing her true colours for once, pure and unadulterated hatred. 'They forced him upon us, Vernon. Not once did they bother asking and neither did they question whether we were able to or even if we _wanted_ to take him in, Vernon. What I did do the boy was my own way of paying off my last dues that I owe to my sister. I saw fit to take in my own flesh and blood, no matter how unwanted it was. As far as I'm concerned, we've done what we were told to do. And that is that. Like I said, we've done what we were told to do, and so we're free to do as we wish.'

Vernon frowned. 'But surely, Petunia, what about that old man with the long white beard, didn't he say he'd be checking up on us?'

She waved an arm airily. 'Do you see him here? In fact, have you ever seen him at all? And even if he did, why did he never intervene when we got a bit out of hand with the boy? The fact of the matter is that he doesn't care. And, we have a top trump up our sleeves.'

Vernon looked interested now. 'Top trump, dear?'

She smiled bitterly. 'Yes. That letter that was left with the boy, it told us that we would be protected by wards that work thanks to his blood.' She pointed in the cupboard. 'I see plenty of blood in there, don't you?'

Vernon nodded, but still looked unsure.

'Now then,' Petunia said slowly as though she were talking to a child. 'Take the boy and leave him somewhere, Manchester, London, anywhere!' Vernon nodded again, reaching down for the boy and hoisting him up into his arms.

Vernon turned towards the door, the boy in his arms. He reached for the keys to the Volkswagen, taking them out of pocket as he walked towards the car. However, just before he passed the door, Petunia interrupted his march.

'Oh, and Vernon?' Vernon stopped, his attention instantly back on his beloved wife.

'Make sure no-one sees you put him in the boot.'

Vernon raised his eyebrows, but Petunia had already turned away from the sight of the boy and Vernon. Sighing, Vernon took advantage of the fact that it was still dark and very little people would be awake. He quickly walked towards the boot of the car, depositing the boy in the boot of the car, closing it quickly.

Meanwhile, Petunia, inside of the house in the front hall turned towards the kitchen, her mind already on the special breakfast that she would make for her darling Dudley and Vernon. Her shoulders were less slumped, as though a great relief had been granted to her, and a great weight had finally been removed. She hummed happily as she decided to make a standard English breakfast, with eggs, bacon and sausage.

Several hours later, Vernon made it to the outskirts of London into a wasteland. Outside of the car, there was no grass growing except for small clusters of weeds and cracked concrete. A few men were gathered around a burning barrel. Vernon quickly walked out of his car and towards the boot, opening it up. He recoiled as the smell of dried blood and unwashed body scent hit him all at once, almost causing him to gag reflexively.

Quickly casting his eyes for a place to dump the boy, who seemed to be unable to move anymore, he found a small ditch. He quickly threw the boy inside, before half-running to the driver's seat. He noticed one of the men separate himself from the pack around the burning barrel. His breath catching in his throat, he started the car and reversed out of the wasteland, not daring to look back. A few miles out, he relaxed. His only worry now was whether he had enough petrol to make it back to his beloved normal home with its normal family.

It wasn't for many more years that his mind recalled that fatal day when he abandoned the hope of the Wizarding world in a ditch. Never in his wildest dreams could he imagine the instant despair and worry that hit the Wizarding world as they realized their saviour was missing, and they looked for someone to blame. Unbeknownst to Vernon, his family would be in the direct firing line. After all, Muggles deserved what they were getting.

Didn't they…?

--

The man who had separated himself from the others at the burning barrel spat after the retreating car. Its driver, a fat man with no neck, didn't seem to take any notice as his attention was on the road ahead of him. As he disappeared from the sight of the man, he walked towards where the car had been previously parked. Hopefully, something of worth had fallen from the car, something that he could hopefully sell off for some decent money. These days, very few people other than pawn shops and small-time shops bought from people like him. Even so, it was enough to keep him going.

As he reached the car, he looked around. Sighing in annoyance as he found nothing, he made to go back when suddenly he saw a shoe. His interest caught, he wandered over towards the shoe, only to see a leg attached to it, then a bloody shirt, and then a head. Hoping that it wasn't yet another dead body, he'd seen far too many over them on the streets during his time. He walked over towards it. What he found was a small boy, probably no more than six years of age.

He took hold of the boy's wrist, feeling for a pulse. It was there, even though it was incredibly weak. Not surprising really when you looked at the amount of blood that was stained on his shirt. Obviously, the boy was near death, unless he did something to help. Gods, but he had a sensitive nature at times. He quickly took hold of the boy, lifting him in his arms and started jogging towards a hospital. He passed several men, most of which knew him. However, he ignored their calls as he concentrated on helping the boy. He may have been rejected by most of society, but that didn't mean that he rejected society itself. He still had his honour, and that honour clearly dictated to help those who needed help.

The boy gave a soft moan in his arms as he ran towards the hospital, no more than a mile away from where he currently was. He looked down at the boy, smiling at him and talking to him.

'Hey kid, what's you name then, eh?' He hoped that the boy wouldn't be scared by him, even though he couldn't really blame the boy if he was. He knew that he wasn't a pretty sight. Long lanky hair, yellowing teeth, and a battered face that had gained it's scars through various fights.

'B- Boy, sir.' The boy said in a soft whisper. The man frowned slightly as he continued running. It seemed likely that the boy was abused or something.

'Do you have any other names?' The man asked, concerned now. He ignored the gaping mouths of the passer-by's as they saw him running with a bloodied boy in his arms. When the boy didn't answer, he panicked slightly. 'Kid? Hey, kid. Come on, keep up kid. You got any other names?'

The boy seemed to respond to the man. 'F – Freak…' the boy whispered again.

The man winced, just as they reached the hospital doors. 'Freak?' He muttered to himself as he reached the receptionist.

'Excuse me, miss!' He said to the woman at the desk, her mouth in a perfect O of surprise. 'Please, you have to help me. I found this boy, he's hurt, really hurt. I think he's going to die if you don't help him!'

The receptionist nodded quickly. A nurse ran over when she saw the bloodied form of the boy in the man's arms. She quickly called for a doctor, and carried the boy off in a bed towards what he hoped was a surgery. He looked at the back of the retreating bed, ignoring the noises the receptionist was making.

'Sir? Sir? Excuse me, sir?'

The man started as he looked at the receptionist.

'Sir, can you please tell me your name please?'

'Oh right. My name's Dave.'

The receptionist nodded as she filled out a form. 'If you could please just sit down.'

Dave nodded absentmindedly as he took a seat. Several hours passed before the receptionist called him over.

'The boy you brought in is alright, we fixed him right up.'

Dave smiled. 'Thank you very much.' Dave suddenly paused. 'Can I see him?'

The receptionist nodded. 'Of course, he's in room 492.

'492,' Dave repeated to himself, making his way towards the room.

A few minutes later, Dave passed reached the corridor that was adjacent to the room 492. He suddenly heard a doctor and nurse just outside of the room, talking. His eyebrows suddenly rose up as he heard them discussing the boy.

'Cleary abused,' the doctor said. 'Do we know anything about who did it?'

The nurse apparently shook her head. 'No, however, we do suspect that it was the guy who brought him in caused the damage to the boy. I hope you don't mind, doctor, but I took the liberty of informing Ivan to call the police about a case of abuse and possible attempted murder.'

'Yes, quite right as well. The police do need to be informed, and the most likely suspect is the man, I suppose. When did Ivan call them?'

'About five minutes ago, I guess.'

'Doctor!' A nurse rushed past Dave towards the pair. 'Doctor, we have a case in room 274. You're needed down there, right away!'

'Do you need another pair of hands?' The other nurse asked.

'Sure, the more the better, now come on!' The three of them rushed past Dave, who watched them pass by as he put his back to the wall. He swore as he realized the police would probably be here very soon, and he had no intention of leaving in their custody. He turned on his feet just as he accidentally walked into a man.

'Umph!' Dave grunted as he walked into the man.

'Sorry, mate, are you alright?' The man asked, obviously concerned.

'Yeah, yeah. I'm alright.' Dave looked up, just as he suddenly saw a badge. _Chris Wright, Social Worker_. Dave looked at the man. He was quite handsome, a brushed beard and short cropped hair.

'You wouldn't be going for that boy in room 492, are you?' He asked, concerned. If he was, then the boy would be going to an orphanage. No one deserved to go to one of those places. There were always at least five orphans out on the streets every month, if not more. They were usually snapped up by various sweatshops, but a few, a lucky few found sanctuary with others like them. But in this case, there was no way that he was letting this particular boy go to the orphanage.

Dave couldn't exactly say what it was that made him want to look after this child, but for some reason, he felt that he was needed by this child. His emerald eyes looked helplessly at him, and yet, there seemed to be such potential in those eyes of his. There was a separate person in there, someone that could be great. And Dave wanted to let that person out.

'Hello, mate?' The social worker was asking, obviously concerned. Dave looked up, alerted.

'Uh, yeah. I was told to tell you that the patient has been moved to another ward.'

The man looked confused. 'Are you sure? I was told by the receptionist that –'

'Hey, that's my message I was told to give to you, mate. He's been moved to room 153. Someone else needed this room.'

'Oh…' the man looked confused, but even so, he left in the opposite direction to where Dave knew the boy to be. Dave let out a sigh of relief, before turning and entering room 492. The boy, who had no more than a few hours ago been in Dave's arms, was lying on a bed, bandages on his side. He looked up when Dave entered, and a scared look entered his eyes.

'Hey, kid.' Dave said, smiling at the boy.

The boy made no effort to reply, except looking at Dave.

'I'm Dave, and I'm here to get you out of here.'

There was no reply from the boy, who simply stared at the man.

'Right…' Dave muttered to himself. He looked around the room, casting his sight on a wheelchair. He quickly picked up the boy, who gave no resistance at all. He quickly took him out of the room, passing the receptionist quietly, not looking at her. On her part, she didn't notice Dave or the boy who had a few hours ago come running inside the hospital.

Dave sighed a sigh of relief as he made it out of the hospital. He'd made it. There had been no coppers and he had managed to take the boy with him as well. There was only one place now where he would take the boy. There was a certain gang that owed him a few favours…

'Hey kid, do you have a name then?'

There was no reply from the boy. Dave sighed, slightly frustrated. 'Alright then, I'll give you a name.' He paused slightly, wondering what to do. Suddenly, the boy looked at him, his eyes burning into Dave's own. He smirked slightly; those eyes would be a real heartbreak when he was older. Suddenly, the answer hit him. His eyes were deeply emerald in colour. That was a good name, Emerald.

'Emerald…' Dave sounded it out. 'You got any problems with the name Emerald?'

There was no reply. Dave sighed deeply, just as the boy spoke. 'Emerald…' he said softly. Dave grinned.

'Emerald it is then. Right then, Emerald. We're going to see some old friends of mine to help you out.'

--

Meanwhile, up in Scotland in a place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in an office that housed the headmaster, a instrument was screaming out a warning. This particular instrument was intended to monitor the health of Harry Potter, and was directly tied into the blood wards that surrounded Privet Drive. Normally, while this would've caused a general alarm with the headmaster, who would've immediately gone to check on Harry, there was no warning.

No more than a few minutes before the instrument had started it's warning, Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had been called by the newly elected Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, to give advice to him.

Suddenly, the ward stopped its alarm and all remained was silence once inside of the office once again. Opposite to this machine was yet another machine tied to Harry Potter. This particular machine checked the blood-wards on Privet Drive. While normally this would've given off a huge alarm, Petunia had been correct. The Blood-wards relied on blood, and that was its only purpose. With the amount of blood left behind, the blood-wards remained stable, and so the machine continued on its quiet way.

And so it passed, that Harry Potter, AKA, Emerald, disappeared from the eyes of Albus Dumbledore and the Wizarding World. It wasn't for many more years that the disappearance of Harry Potter was discovered, and it wasn't for many more years after that that Emerald was finally discovered, captured and forced to become a hero.

And so began the tale of Harry Potter and the Forced Hero.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form


	2. Gang Life

Harry Potter and the Forced Hero

**Again beta-ed by the Awesome, wonderful, amazing, and ect. ****ect. P.R.M.A.S. without whom, this fic. Would suck… JK LoL.**

**Harry Potter and the Forced Hero**

The loud music thumping in the large hall that was based underneath a series of flats seemed to echo in between the bodies of the dancing people. Many of them danced wildly, their arms flailing around and their bodies moving to their own beat. Yet, there seemed to be a strange beat that ran alike through the crowd, so that if you looked at it from above, strange shapes and symbols appeared to be formed by the crowd for an instant, before disappearing into a mass of bodies.

_O', just, cause life ain't so great,_

_Everything you know, everything you love, they've taken it, fled with it,_

_And all you can do, is just sit back and cry,_

_Watching in pain, as you feel yourself die!_

The lyrics of the band, Death's Beat, pounded through the crowd. The crowd seemed to respond wildly as those at the front screamed their adulteration for the band, and those at the back tried to push through the heaving masses towards the front. The band on the stage simply ignored these distractions, concentrating on their instruments. The entire band, that is, except for one person. The lead singer.

His hair long and lanky, reaching down to his shoulders, he grinned as he sang his lyrics into the microphone. To the unfortunate mass that was just below him, always just a fingertip away from touching him, they simply fell into awe. It was no coincidence that most of the crowd at the front near the stage were purely made up of the female population. The stance of the singer simply _oozed_ gorgeousness. It was as though an animal magnetism drew them to him. His sweat-soaked hair, although normally distasteful to the average person, seemed to give him an angelic look in the white light that highlighted him. Of course, that all changed within a second as he leant forward and the white light turned red, making him turn instantly into a red devil. The crowd screamed itself hoarse with admiration as he sang.

_When there's fire pouring down,_

_Where the hell are you gonna be?_

_Are you going to be sitting in the rain, screaming your hatred?_

_Or are you going to stand and make a stand, take the war to them!?_

At the last word, smoke popped from the side of the stage, masking him and the band behind him. The music, previously pounding and in-your-face had suddenly become quiet, only a small strumming noise could be heard in the sudden silence that had hit the hall. The smoke slowly died away as a figure became more and more pronounced. The smoke drifted away, leaving him holding the guitar. The band members remained in the background, their instruments not being used; it was as though they were waiting for something. Slowly, the lead singer, still holding his guitar, raised his head, and softly sang.

_And so we reach the end,_

_Our friends have gone round the bend,_

_It's time to get outta here,_

_Oh, and don't forget the beer._

The crowd, well, mostly the girl part of the crowd, cried out in admiration at the sight of the singer. His face basically caused a hole to emerge in their hearts. In short, he was handsome. And that wasn't just it. For on the left side of his face was a tattoo of a snake. Most of the girls were driven wild already, and his tattoo just made them go crazy!

The resounding twang from the guitar and the rest of the band caused the crowd to go wild, screaming their voices out. The lead singer simply smiled and waved slightly, ignoring the yells and cheers of the audience in front of him. Several bold girls were cheekily offering to share his bed that night, but to no avail. He simply left with the rest of the band.

Not long after the end of the concert, the crowd, in its pairs and groups left the hall, most of them talking excitedly about the band. Many of them felt that the show was definitely worth the money they'd spent, which was at least £30 just to get in. Normally, none of them would've paid that much, however, recently, Death's Beat had been in many local newspapers, and had even appeared in a small column in a national newspaper. It was mainly, however, the lead singer who caused for the band's rise in popularity.

Many of the crowd, few of whom were inclined to return to their homes, left for various drinking pubs and coffee bars. It was there that many of them started up what would become a favoured subject if they ever thought back to that night. Just where did the lead singer come from?

Very little was known about him. There were only ever rumours about who he was, what he did and how he did it. The usual rumours that appeared after a concert were that he was a rich kid out for some fun; that he was just a runaway who played for money or that he was just a group of people pretending to be the same person. Of course, there were very few people, who didn't acknowledge, that whoever he was he was extremely hot.

In fact, the only thing that anyone did actually know about him was that his name was Emerald.

--

Emerald smacked the hand of Rick in a high five, grinning through his weariness at his friend. 'It was a good riff,' Emerald was saying, 'but I still think that it could've used a few more seconds to fully achieve its maximum potential.'

'And I keep telling you, it's perfectly fine where it is!' Rick said, rolling his eyes. It was apparent that this was an old argument between the two of them. Rick's brown, lanky hair dropped down in the way of his eyes, and with a practiced and automatic motion, he blew it out of the way.

'Dude, you really do need to get a haircut sometime.'

'Says you?' Rick said, laughing.

'Yeah, says me.' Emerald said, puffing out his chest and glaring at Rick.

'Hey, if you two ladies have finished trying to prove that you've got a pair, then we still need to get paid for tonight's concert!' A female voice called to them both.

Both Rick and Emerald turned around to see the person who had just called them. There, standing in the doorway was a girl. Her hair was long and blonde, reaching down to her shoulder blades. Her blue eyes gave her the appearance of an innocent angel, so any unsuspecting person would say. It would be those who knew her, however, who would disagree quickly. Well, not if she was in earshot anyway. She was clearly dressed to impress, wearing a tank top and small shorts that barely covered her underwear. She raised an eyebrow at their outraged expressions, a small smirk lingering on her face. Rick opened his mouth to say something before a look from her made him quickly close it. Emerald opened his mouth to do the same, before another look from her made him close it as well.

The girl smirked, her work apparently done. 'Right then, Rick, grab your stuff and get changed. Don't forget our little bet that you lost. You still have to pay for drinks at the club tonight. For _everyone_.' Rick gulped, while Emerald grinned at him. His grin quickly disappeared when the girl looked at him. 'And as for you Emerald,' she walked up close to him, invading his personal space. 'You still have to get us the money that we're owed! Two concerts, we haven't been paid, and I am expecting to see that money the next time I see you. Get it?' Emerald nodded quickly.

A triumphant smirk on her face, she grabbed Rick by the arm and frogmarched him out of the room, presumably to the dressing room. A worried-looking Rick looked back at Emerald, obviously wondering what horrors would be inflicted on him. With a cheeky grin on his face, Emerald waved him goodbye. He chuckled as soon as they were out of the room. He loved it when Shell came about like this.

Shell was always the domineering type. She liked to have things under control. Her favourite plans were…well, basically plans that worked. A plot with no plan equalled pain. That aside, she was caring, funny, and hot as hell! Emerald had always regarded her with a type of awe. He wouldn't date her, of course. She was like a sister to him. Well, he preferred the name "cousin", because otherwise it would be just creepy thinking someone who you thought of as your sister as being hot.

Right from day one of Emerald meeting the gang members, Shell had been in his life…

--

_Flashback…_

_Emerald looked around the large hall nervously. Dave, after taking Emerald away from the police and the hospital, had instantly known that he couldn't look after a boy on the streets. It could only end with him in prison, and Emerald in an orphanage. While no one would comment on a tramp, they would if that tramp had a boy with them. Therefore, the next best place was with some people who would take care of him._

_The building they were in now had clearly been abandoned in the past. Broken windows and graffiti adorned the walls of the flat. The door had clearly been kicked in at some point, and a maze of alleyways more or less surrounded the building. Of course, inside was a different matter. Around two or three floors up, the building was clean and safe. The gang living there, most of them aged from 9 to 16 had made their home here. A carpet, although rugged and scratchy, had been laid in place, and various sofas that seemed to serve as beds were made up in the empty rooms. A small generator had been set up as well, although it was limited only to the third floor. Accordingly, that was where most of the gang had set up their places. Only a few went any further up, and normally that was in pairs, the majority of them were one of each gender. What they did up there, only they knew._

_It hadn't taken long before a girl and a boy came up to him. Unlike the others, they were his age. The boy had grinned at him as the girl took his hand. Emerald had flinched at the touch, but the girl ignored it as she dragged him off to a room, where various broken toys were. The boy had followed with a grin still on his face. It had been there that Emerald had met both Shell and Rick, and ever since they had been one of the closest groups that had made up the gang. He had been welcomed, and ever since, he had returned that welcome with his total loyalty._

_End flashback…_

_--_

Emerald, now dressed in his normal clothes, a ripped t-shirt and a pair of jeans that had clearly seen better days, walked towards the managers office, nodding at the two bouncers that had cleared out the club, now sat at the bar drinking an alcoholic drink.

'Hey up Emerald,' one of them acknowledged him. 'Great show up there, again. You gonna come back some time?'

Emerald shrugged noncommittally. 'It depends; we haven't been paid for the last two concerts yet, not including this one. If we're not paid, then there's no way in hell that we're going to come back to this place, even with you two guys here to liven it up!' Emerald said the last sentence with a grin on his face.

The bouncer looked at the second bouncer, a small frown on his face. The other bouncer looked Emerald up and down, before nodding at the first bouncer. The first bouncer turned back to Emerald. 'Heads up then, Emerald. The club's been through some hard times recently, and to be honest, it's really been your band that's kept us going so far. We're in heavy debt, and it's unlikely that the boss will pay you much, if anything.'

Emerald ground his teeth in annoyance. He'd gone through guys like that before, who had seen him and instantly decided that he could be played. They generally tended to delay and delay until he gave up. Well, he would not be played with.

'If you go to him,' the first bouncer said, slowly. 'We thought we'd let you know that we became temporally deaf for the next five or so minutes.'

Emerald nodded in satisfaction. He turned from the two bouncers, who in turn, went back to their drinks as though nothing had happened. Emerald walked through the back door of the club, walking through a corridor until he reached the door where the light, shining through the door gave an outline of a figure.

Emerald barged in without knocking, visibly startling the man as he looked up from his desk where he had been writing out various forms. Emerald sat himself in front of the desk, putting his feet up and whistling, looking around the room.

'Nice little place you've got here,' Emerald started before he was interrupted by the manager.

'What the hell are you doing, boy?'

Emerald instantly bristled. The word "boy" raised bad memories in him, even now. Oh, if only the manager knew just how much of a bad start he had gotten to. Emerald put his feet down, looking in the manager's eyes squarely.

'What do I want? Hmm, well, let's just have a think about that. Oh yes, I know…how about, let's start with the money you owe me for the concert two weeks ago. What else…oh yes! The concert that we played at your club a week ago. And there was just one more thing…hang on; it'll come to me…ah yes! The money that you owe me for playing here again this week!'

The manager visibly growled. 'I'll pay you later, all of it. Okay?' The manager seemed to dismiss him as he turned back to his paperwork. He quickly leapt back, however, when Emerald slammed his fist on the desk, shoving the pile of papers onto the ground. The man looked at the pile, clearly distressed. He turned towards Emerald, a face of fury on him as he made a step towards him.

Of course, that didn't last long when he found himself on the floor, having been backhanded by Emerald, whose eyes glinted with satisfaction. The man clutched the side of his face, spitting some blood onto the ground. Emerald walked over to the man, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, and lifting him up.

'The money, _now_.'

The man, having been cowed turned towards a safe at the back of the room. Emerald followed cautiously as the man opened the safe and turned around. Emerald swore as he punched the man in the face. He quickly stamped on the man's hand. Of course, this was no random bout of violence, but an instinctive act. What else would you do when the man was holding a fucking gun?

Emerald kicked him savagely in the ribs, winding him and probably bruising his ribs severely. He stepped over the man, who was clutching his side towards the safe. He smiled slightly as he saw various piles of bank bills stacked up. He grabbed as much as he could in his hands and put it into an empty bag that was at the side of the room. He repeated this two times before he was satisfied, leaving just two wads of bank notes.

He stopped and glared at the man, his green eyes darkened and menacing. He slowly put his hand that wasn't holding the bag into his trouser waistline, pulling out a pistol. He pointed it at the man, who looked to be wetting himself at the sight of it. He raised a hand feebly.

'No…please…' he whispered, terror laced into his voice.

Emerald shook his head slowly.

'Die!'

--

'And so then, yeah, I pulled the trigger, and the guy just started crying and curling up into a ball! There I was, just soaking him with water from the water pistol, all the while yelling "Yes! Fear the power of water! Drown you miserable rat! Drown! Muahahahah!" And he was just screaming as the water poured all over him! I could hardly stop myself from dying of laughter!'

Shell and Rick roared with laughter as they listened to what had happened to the unfortunate manager.

'And then, right, the two bouncers came running in at the sound of the screams of the guy, and they took one look at me squirting him with water, and they just started laughing as well! They just couldn't help it!'

'And when I had finally run out of water, the manager finally realised he wasn't dead, looked up and I swear, he had the eyes of the devil! He got up, made to charge towards me, but then he slipped in the pool of water and slammed his head into his desk!'

Rick collapsed onto the ground next to the table, rolling in laughter. Shell buried her head in her elbow, her body shaking with laughter. Emerald, grinning like a Cheshire cat took a sip of his beer before continuing with the story. 'And then I just did one with the money, the manager unconscious and the two bouncers still laughing their heads off!'

Rick clapped him on the shoulder as he got up, tears of mirth in his eyes, while Shell looked up, her face red from grinning so much. Finally, she composed herself enough to make a coherent sentence.

'So, how much did you get from the safe then?'

Emerald smirked, holding up two fingers at her. She raised her eyebrows.

'£200?'

Emerald shook his head, a definite smirk on his face now. Shell's mouth gaped a little at the implications.

'£2,000?!'

Emerald nodded, grinning. Shell shrieked in surprise and quickly kissed him on the cheek. Rick smiled, and made to do the same, only to be shoved away playfully by Emerald, who shook his head with amusement at him. Rick pouted, before turning to Shell, who before he could do anything glared at him. Rick quailed and turned away, his arms folded and his bottom lip out.

Emerald rolled his eyes, while Shell clipped the back of his head, before ignoring him in favour of her own drink. Rick sighed sadly, before his eyes alighted on a group of giggly girls who were sat at their own table. He nudged Emerald, nodding his head at them and raising his eyebrows suggestively. Emerald glanced at them, before looking around the room. He nodded his assent, before he looked at Shell.

'Shell, do you mind if we-'

'Go and perve on some women? Go ahead.' She rolled her eyes as Rick eagerly grabbed Emerald by the arm and walked briskly over to the group of women, who after a minute or two of talking to the pair of them, made space for them to both sit down. Shell looked around the room, before her own eyes spotted a piece of potential eye candy. She smirked seductively as she walked over to him.

--

Emerald smirked at Rick as he put both his arms around the waists of two of the women. He winked at Emerald, nodding slightly at the two women next to him, both of whom did nothing to prevent Rick from placing his arms around them. Emerald rolled his eyes. He wasn't really in the mood, to be honest. It quite scared him, sometimes. It was the fact that he was only fourteen years old, and yet if he wanted, he could've taken at least one of them to his bed tonight. He wasn't really that into older women, to be honest. It just kinda made him feel a bit weird when he knew that women, who were probably at least 6 years older than Rick and him, would sleep with them. He knew that he looked older than he really was, but even so, it kinda made him feel a bit out of place.

Rick, on the other hand, had no problems with it. Now no one could deny that he only appeared to be a year or two older than he really was, but that only made him look like he was fifteen or sixteen. And yet they had managed to get into a club, drink alcohol and sleep with women with no more than a raised eyebrow from any observer. Damn, but their life was screwed up. Emerald chuckled lowly, like he really cared though.

He observed Rick for a minute. Rick was presently laughing at a joke one of the two women had made, his floppy blonde hair shaking with each laugh. His face had a few scars on it, one across his forehead, and another on his cheek. Rick had never told anyone else other than Emerald, but those scars weren't all caused by his stay with the gang. Rather, it had been before his stay with the gang, when he had lived with his abusive relatives. Rick never spoke of it, but there were certain times when he became mournful and didn't speak to anyone.

Not that Emerald could blame him. Emerald was like that sometimes. It didn't happen often, but there was just that time when he felt like he had to sit down and stop whatever he was doing. He felt an aching presence in his gut, and he felt fear lurch in his chest whenever he thought of the Dursleys. They had caused such atrocities to him. He dreamed of them sometimes.

_Flashback_

_A large figure stood over Emerald. The figure standing over him was clearly overweight, but when he punched Emerald, it hurt so much. He was in a small space, surrounded by various shelves and cleaning equipment. A small mattress with blood stains on it was the only thing to show that the cupboard was occupied. The figure stood outside of the door, kicking savagely at him._

_The face of the figure changed often. It changed into the faces of his relatives, their faces tinted with bloodlust and hatred of Emerald. They yelled at him, calling him names, Freak, Boy__, Scum...They said stuff about his parents, mocking him, calling him worthless._

_And over all of that was a green light that flashed every few seconds. A high-pitched voice occasionally laughed, and a woman's voice screamed before cutting out suddenly. And Emeral__d would then know that, without a doubt, that the woman was dead._

_And that was what he was in that dream. He was dead. He was the hunted, rather than the hunter. He was nothing compared to other people, and he was meant to be dead. Everything he had achieved was nothing. All of his friends, Rick, Shell, all of them rejected him. He was rejected, not wanted._

_In short...he was in hell__._

_End flashback_

It had been horrible in the first few weeks when he had gone to the gang. Often, he screamed at night when he woke up, crying, as he dreamt that dream over, and over, again. It had gotten so bad that Shell and Rick had to sleep with him in the same room, quickly reassuring him that he was alright when he woke up screaming. It took him a long time to recover from his dreams. Eventually, they had stopped from occurring every time he fell asleep, to only occurring once a week. Eventually, that had gone down to several times every month. And from there, it had stopped. He didn't scream or cry anymore, but he did wake up sweating and panting as though he had been running from the dogs of hell.

Feeling despondent now, Emerald took hold of his drink and gulped it down. He looked at his glass, lost in thought. After a few seconds, he looked back up. Rick was looking at him sadly, as though he knew what Emerald was thinking. Emerald forced a smile onto his face, and lifted his empty glass in a mock-cheer. Rick bobbed his head at Emerald, but his facial expression didn't' change otherwise. He simply kept his eyes on Emerald, his face saddened. Emerald's eyes narrowed slightly, and he stood up.

'I'm off back to the flat, alright Rick.' Emerald said, stating clearly to Rick. He turned, not checking to see if Rick had heard him. Either Rick had or hadn't, Rick wasn't one to worry about such things anyway. He knew perfectly well what Emerald was capable was. There had been several strange incidents about him when he had first arrived to the gang. Things had always seemed to disappear around him, and people intending Emerald harm had suddenly become as soft as kittens. There was very little to worry about when it came to Emerald.

Emerald waved at Shell, who was presently in the lap of a guy. Of course, he doubted that she noticed that he was leaving either. The fact that both she and the guy were lip-locked kinda gave the impression that she was perfectly content where she was at the moment. If anyone did try anything on Shell, she would easily deal a blow or ten to them. Anyone who tried to force themselves upon her would find themselves face down on the ground with several broken ribs to boot. One newly initiated gang member had once tried that, not realising the rules that came with the gang. He was later found in a ditch with a brand new smile...on his throat.

Several minutes later, Emerald made it back to the gang house. The sentry in charge nodded respectfully at Emerald as he clambered over the makeshift barricade that formed the first part of their defences. They had quite a few enemies. They were well known in that area. They harboured several wanted people, and while the police obviously hadn't figured out that they were with them, they still were suspicious of them. And that wasn't all. There were other gangs around the place who were all about respect and territory, demanding and fighting each other for it. Emerald and the gang were directly in the middle of a brewing war, and it would be they who would have to take the first blows. Spectators would be watching them eagerly, waiting to pounce and take as much as possible. For Emerald, that would mean death, whether quick or slow, it would depend on his enemy. But it would be so much worst for the girls in the gang. Most people on the streets were no more than vicious animals, their only instinct to eat, drink and fuck. Any girl taken alive by a rival gang would probably end their days in a darkened alleyway, or sold off to a prostitution ring. It was a vicious circle of life in the streets and the gangs. Only the best could survive. Emerald did more than that, however.

He thrived on it.


	3. Flashbacks

**Harry Potter and the Forced Hero **

**Hi guys, when I started rewriting this story again, I got a whole lot of favourable reviews. Eleven of them in fact. But when I posted the new chapter, I only got one or two. I know that very few of you ever bother to review, but seriously, that few reviews for a chapter like that? It made me feel like I shouldn't bother anymore. So, please review and tell me what you think. It's not a threat or anything, or a warning, but please, just review and tell me what you all think of it.**

Emerald yawned as he pulled himself out of the heap of blankets that he called his bed. He stretched, scratching his bare chest before pulling on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans that had been piled on the floor. He idly wondered whether the bathroom was free. Not many people in the gang really bothered with it, of course, as there was no hot water at all. They limited themselves to having a shower once a week normally. At least, the male members of the gang did. They all probably stank to high heaven, but no one really noticed.

Only five people were in the sitting room when Emerald walked in. They were eating various foods, all of it unhealthy. Pizza, chips, that kind of thing. Emerald continued his way outside of the flat, nodding towards a sentry on guard, before he took off on his run. Emerald often went running every morning. He had started going running when he was only twelve years old. Even then, he had been introduced to the dark side of the gangs, and had seen the need to become strong. In close quarter fights, the only thing that really mattered was how much pain you could cause, and how much pain you could take. It had worked out well for him, running. He now had a four-pac, and was optimistic of gaining a six-pac by the end of next year should he keep up his schedule every day.

An hour and a half later, Emerald made it back to the flat, breathing heavily. He wiped his forehead futilely with his arm, before giving it up as a bad job. He walked through the flat, hoping for a shower. To his luck, no one was in there, meaning that Emerald had it all to himself. He took his time, allowing the cold flood of water to wash all over his body. Around twenty minutes after he'd gone in, Emerald finally came out.

Pulling on his t-shirt and jeans, he wandered into the kitchen, where he grabbed a piece of cold pizza and munched on it, sitting on top of the kitchen benches. He sighed as he sat back, idly wondering what there was to do today. At this time of day, not much was really open that appealed to Emerald. The clubs of the night wouldn't be open until late tonight, and until then, Emerald, and those like him, would remain out of sight in their various areas. Of course, Emerald wasn't just one of those to limit himself to going out at a particular time. Often, he made his way around the streets of the daylight, into various shops and cafes. He kept himself covered up, of course. His snake tattoo was very much recognisable to anyone. If a rival gang member saw him, then his daylight trips would be drastically cut short.

But today, he wasn't going out. Instead, he had fallen into one of his despondent moods again. While they happened rarely, today was an exception to that rule. He simply lay on his blankets, sitting, lost in memories. Memories like when he came to the gang house.

_Flashback_

_Dave and Emerald leapt off the bus, the screaming conductor yelling at them as the woman who they had just pick-pocketed was dialling a number on her mobile. Dave smirked as he grabbed Emerald's arm and ran with him into an alleyway. He chuckled as he bounced the stolen purse up and down the palm of his hand. Pulling out all the cash and coins, he threw the purse with derision into a skip. He turned to Emerald and winked at him._

'_And that, my dear Emerald, is exactly how you steal a purse from someone.' He grinned at the expression on Emerald's face. His face was clearly one of conflict, of pride and of confusion, wonderment and fear. Dave's face creased slightly with worry. 'What's wrong lad? You look a bit off.' He asked as he started walking with Emerald._

'_It's just, when I was with those…those people,' Dave nodded, knowing that it was likely that Emerald would never talk about them willingly again. 'They used to take me off to church, and I was taught that it was wrong to steal and to disobey those who know better than you.'_

_Dave spat on the ground in disgust as Emerald flinched with fear. Dave immediately looked apologetic before sighing in weariness. 'Look, lad, let me ask you a question. There's a husband and a wife and the wife is dying. Now, suppose then that the cure to her illness is just next to the man, but it doesn't belong to him. The cure isn't needed by anyone else. Should the man take it to save his wife, or watch his wife die?'_

_Emerald looked at the ground, obviously thinking hard about what he had just been told. He and Dave walked down the maze of back alleyways that branched from the alley they'd just run down. Seeing the look on Emerald's face as he saw the huge amount of alleyways, he chuckled. 'The whole place is a maze lad; it's a perfect place to avoid the police and any "well-meaning" citizens.'_

_Emerald smiled, but still looked thoughtful. Finally, five minutes later, Emerald spoke out. 'I guess that if I was the husband to the wife, then I'd take the medicine for her.' He looked at Dave curiously, wondering whether he was right._

_Dave smiled at him. 'Got it in one kid, out here in the streets, no one gives a damn. If you don't steal, you starve. It's a cruel world, and the people I'm taking you to are just as bad in their own way, but the one difference between us and the rest of the world is that we give a damn. We care about our own, we look after each other, we fight for each other, and we can even damn well die for each other. Without that, we'd tear each other apart and turn the streets into a bloodbath. And that would only bring about dire consequences for all concerned.' He shuddered at the thought of what he had endured the last time the gangs came together in one last massive war...so many dead..._

_He shook his head, clearing his mind of the bad memories as he noticed that they were just outside an old building. Its windows were mostly broken, and it had obviously met bad times. He sighed, knowing that at least the people there had made an attempt to make the place look a little better. Walking up to a double-door, he kicked it three times and stood back, waiting for an answer._

_For several minutes, Dave and Emerald waited, David standing there patiently, while Emerald fidgeted with his legs, wondering what was going on. The waiting continued, Dave not showing any emotion, while Emerald had sat down, obviously tired of waiting. They waited another five minutes before the door finally opened, and a teenager, looking only around 15 years old greeted them, with a baseball bat in his hand. He looked around cautiously, before his face broke into a grin and he embraced Dave with one arm._

'_Dave! You old bastard, where've you been?' The boy grinned at Dave, who broke out into a smile. 'Why, I don't think that me and the rest of us have actually seen you ever since you helped us out with that little job that we had going!'_

_Dave smirked, 'Yes, that little job was a godsend, but even so, I'm still owed a favour by you lot.'_

_The boy rolled his eyes, 'fine then, ask away.'_

_Dave nodded at Emerald. 'I need a place for this one, he's young, but he shows some promise.'_

_The boy eyed up Emerald before turning back to Dave. 'He's a bit small, but he could work out. Is this going to be permanent or what?'_

_Dave shrugged, 'I don't know really, this was the first place that I thought of when I found him. You've taken in children like him before, and like I said, he does show some promise. He could be useful.'_

_The boy sighed, 'fine, we'll take him. You want to explain the rules to him? Or do I have to?'_

_Dave shook his head, 'nah, I'll tell him.' He turned to Emerald. 'Right, there's some rules to follow while you live here, firstly, whichever one of us who're older than you tells you to do something, you do it. Second, show no remorse. Third and finally, never squeal on them. Break the rule, then at the very least they throw you out, the worst, well…let's just say that it won't be pretty.' Emerald nodded._

_Dave sighed as he lightly pushed Emerald towards the doorway, before turning on his feet and walking away; He look back once and gave Emerald an encouraging smile. Emerald gave a small wave as he walked through the doorway, before suddenly being grabbed by the boy and dragged through into another room._

_Dragging Emerald into a big empty room, bare of any furniture whatsoever, he threw him on the ground and stood above him, his arms folded. 'Right, kid,' he growled. 'Strip.' Emerald flinched, he'd been told to do that before by his uncle when he was drunk, but somehow he'd always managed to escape. Seeing the look on Emerald's face, he grimaced. 'Get your filthy mind out of the gutter!' He shuddered, before smiling slightly. 'Look, I know I'm extremely handsome, but I don't bend that way, and even if I did, then it would someone a lot older and handsomer than you.' He smirked at Emerald at that point. 'I've just got to make sure that you don't have any devices on you that could betray the gang, so just strip off. Ok?'_

_Emerald nodded, pulling off his clothes._

_When the boy had finished checking him, he nodded in satisfaction. 'Well, you're not bugged at least, though whether you prove to be trustworthy is another question.' He smiled at Emerald, 'Call me Octo.'_

_Emerald smiled back slightly, 'I'm Emerald.'_

_Octo gestured towards another door at the end of the room, 'Come and meet the gang.' He opened the door, and a huge room was revealed. It rather looked like a hall! There were sofas, chairs, sleeping bags, all sorts! There was even a large TV there, although its front was broken. At least twenty people were there. Only a few looked up, but the majority of them simply ignored him and continued doing whatever it was that they were doing. Emerald looked around in awe as he followed Octo into yet another room. He suddenly, by instinct, caught some old and baggy clothes that Octo had thrown at him. 'Put those things on, and you can meet the rest of the gang.'_

_As Octo went outside to talk to the others, Emerald threw on his new clothing, before nervously walking outside into the hall, where Octo waved him over to where he and two children were talking. 'Emerald, this is Rick,' he gestured to a brown-haired floppy fringed boy who grinned at him. 'And this is Shell.' He gestured to the girl, a blonde-haired girl who simply nodded at him. 'Right, you two make him welcome, and try not to cause too much trouble like you did last time!' He grinned at the pair who simply snickered as they each grabbed Emerald's wrist and dragged him off._

'_Hey, I'm Rick!' Rick grinned at him as they dragged Emerald outside. He nodded to Shell, 'And that's Shell.' The two of them suddenly stopped in their tracks and turned to Emerald. 'So what's your skill?'_

_Emerald looked confused, 'skill?' he asked curiously._

_Shell rolled her eyes. 'You know, like a skill? As in what you're good at while you're with us?' At Emerald's confused look, she looked at Rick incredulously. 'Jesus Christ, what rock did you climb out of?' She glared at Emerald._

_Rick waved her down, 'Shell, do you always have to be so goddamned thick-headed? You know that he's only just come to us, it's hardly a surprise that he's a rookie now, is it?' She shrugged, but still looked a little disgusted by Emerald's words. Rick rolled his eyes and turned to Emerald. 'Well, I guess we should try and find your skill then. Let's try a bit of thieving, you hungry?' he asked. Emerald nodded his head. 'Well then, if I'm right, there's a Chatwins' on a small street, hardly anyone goes along it.' He smirked, 'and that fact that the woman there is half blind and never realises who we are makes it a perfect place to go to.' Winking at Emerald, he grabbed both Shell and Emerald by the sleeves of their shirts and dragged them away._

_End flashback_

He'd become intensely close to both Shell and Rick after that day, and he gave them his loyalty in return. They returned their loyalty back to him, and all three of them had become close to each other, knowing that whatever they did, they would remain friends. As time had moved on, and each of them had developed in their own way, their friendship had remained intact, although with changes.

Shell experienced various body changes, and she quickly responded to growing male attention by causing them to do her favours in return for her favour. To date, Emerald had never seen her actually sleep with anyone, but that didn't mean that she was white as snow. She had done a lot for the gang, and the gang would do anything for her if she wished it.

Rick had become the joker and the diplomat of the gang. Anyone who wanted to deal with the gang in exchange for items of equal worth would have to go through Rick, and would more or less end up having given up more than they'd bargained for. Any dangerous situation that any of the gang members found them in would quickly be smoothed over by Rick's joking manner. He was extremely popular with anyone who he met, and very few would disregard him as a power in the areas.

And as for Emerald, well, Emerald was the person who did the dirty work for the gang. While he was loyal to the gang, he was nobody's fool, and he could play on the hearts and the minds of anyone who met him. It had been exactly one of these situations that Emerald had proven of great worth.

_Flashback_

_Rick, Emerald and Shell were gathered in the base in a private room. Rick's normally laughing face was looking worried, Shell was looking angry, and Emerald simply remained emotionless. It was Rick who started off the conversation._

'_You heard what they said, something is going to happen tonight to the gang, and they're not going to do anything about it!'_

_**They**__ were the major leaders of the gang. There were two of the gang leaders, Octo and Chelas. In the time that Emerald had spent in the gang, it had been Octo and Chelas who had led the gang through thick and thin. Of course, times changed, gangs either died out or moved out, and it was only their gang that had managed to hold its position against the newly emerging gangs, and the ever-more authoritarian police that had sworn to stamp out crime in the area of London. And now, Octo and Chelas appeared to have become suspect in the gang. Octo was a sixteen year old man, and was known for being cunning in a fight. Chelas was a fifteen year old girl, who often hid behind others in a fight._

_Emerald, Shell and Rick, both had been wandering through the flat, when they had suddenly come across both Octo and Chelas talking in hushed conversation. Of course, who was Emerald to just leave anything alone? He had hunched down next to the door, and had listened to both Octo and Chelas._

'_You know what they're offering, we can be free of this bloody place once and for all!'_

'_At the expense of the gang? Do you know what would happen to them? They'd either be picked up by the police or the gangs, and god knows which one's better! You know as well as I do that only a few would ever survive in the streets on their own, and that means that only five or so would survive. So do you know what you're saying?'_

'_Yeah, I know what I'm saying. I'm saying that it's time we stopped looking out for everyone else and start looking out for me and you instead! I don't know what you wanted to do with your life, but I damned well know that you never wanted it to end in a cesspit like this one! An early death is what we're inviting, and you damned well know it! The only thing that we can really hope for is a quick death by remaining here, not one by being stabbed and left to bleed to death, slowly, or being found and tortured by the gangs!'_

'_And what, taking money from __**both **__the police and the gangs are a smart idea, leaving us lot in the middle? We'll be lucky if anyone survives! Between the force of the police, and the hatred of the gangs, nothing will be left alive of us, nothing! And you want to encourage that by taking their money and discussing plans with them?'_

'_£40,000 quid, that's what they're offering! Do you know what we can do with that? Both me and you can just leave this bloody city, leave for somewhere decent and safe away from all of this mess! We can become normal, living on our own without having to look after anyone but each other! We can become happy, together!'_

'_I don't know...'_

'_You know that it's right for both of us.'_

_There was a small pause, but then._

'_Fine.'_

_Emerald, Shell and Rick had crept away at that, their faces pale, and trembling with rage. They dared to abandon the gang? That would be bad enough in itself, without turning in the gang as well to the police __**and **__the gangs! They were right in thinking it would be pure luck if anyone of them survived the backlash. They would be slaughtered! And that was how they ended up discussing what would either make or break the back of the gang. This was literally life or death._

'_You heard what they said, something is going to happen tonight to the gang, and they're not going to do anything about it!'_

_Shell spoke up, her face pale. 'We need to inform the others, immediately.'_

'_And do what?' Rick demanded. 'No matter what we do, we're going to be attacked by two sides tonight.'_

'_We need to get out of here, flee to somewhere, an alleyway or a place like that.'_

_Emerald spoke up for the first time that meeting. 'No.'_

_Shell and Rick looked at Emerald in surprise. 'No?'_

'_I said no. What we are going to do is to strike back. Shell, go and inform the others. We are going to be attacked tonight by the police and the gangs. We have to be prepared. Rick, grab whatever weaponry we have. Have everyone armed.'_

_Rick nodded, but Shell looked at Emerald, her lips nibbling her bottom lip. 'What about Octo and Chelas?'_

_Emerald gritted his teeth. 'They will be disposed of.'_

_Shell nodded grimly, her mind set. All three of them stood to go do their jobs. Emerald sighed, pulling out a metal pipe from his trouser waistline. It was going to be a messy job. He walked quickly up the stairs to where the two "leaders" were talking. He stopped outside of the door, listening to see what they were doing. He heard heavy breathing from the two of them and he smirked. Obviously, they were busy with other "things". Shame that it was going to end for them like this._

_He slammed into the room, his metal pipe in his hand. The boy swore as he pushed away Chelas from him. Chelas shrieked as she instinctively put both her hands over her more than generous bosom. Emerald smirked as he slammed the metal pipe into the head of Octo, who dropped like a light. Chelas screamed in shock before Emerald then punched her lightly in the stomach, causing her to clutch it._

'_Thought you'd betray us, would you?' Emerald hissed in hatred, his normally expressionless face now blazing with hatred. 'You're lucky that I don't kill the both of you right now. But it's not my place to judge you, I'll leave that to the others.' Chelas shuddered in fear as she took in his angered pose._

'_Please...mercy.' She whimpered. If anything, that made Emerald even more angry._

'_The same mercy that you would've given to us? The same mercy that would've been passed out to us? The same mercy that we trusted you with when you allowed you to lead us?'_

_Chelas seemed to have nothing to say as she collapsed in tears, still clutching her stomach. Emerald sneered as he turned on his feet and left the room, jamming the door so neither of them could get out of the room. Emerald didn't know it, but behind him, as he left to see the others, the lights flickered on and off, shaking as though hit by a small earthquake. Emerald saw none of this, however, intent on his plans to save the gang._

_Once he'd made his way down to the first floor where the assembled gang members were, he noticed several older gang members make their way towards him, their faces taunt with anger._

'_Where the hell are Chelas and Octo, Emerald?'_

_Emerald gestured upstairs. 'They're up there. Why?'_

_The speaking gang member sneered and turned to his compatriots. 'You go up there and get them. They'll know what to do.'_

_They nodded and made to go upstairs when Emerald blocked them. Drawing back slightly in surprise, the leading gang member approached him._

'_What the hell are you doing?'_

_Emerald snarled back. 'What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to save our fucking asses here, and the fact that Chelas and Octo put us into this position means that they are to blame. They'll pay for their own mistakes when all this is over.'_

_The gang member drew back, laughing at Emerald. 'And what, do you think you're capable of leading us against the police and the gang members? I knew you were slow, Emerald, but I didn't know that you were stupid as well!'_

_Emerald quickly lashed out, smacking him in the mouth, causing a small trail of blood to make a line out of the side of his mouth. The gang member snarled and prepared to attack, but suddenly halted as suddenly Emerald appeared to be bigger than he was, and a strange light seemed to surround him, even though he was in the dark. 'You want to know if I can lead you? The simple answer is yes. Yes, I can lead you, and yes, we will be able to defeat them. We will survive through this night, but you will have to trust me in this. This is no time for fighting amongst ourselves, but for killing our enemies. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest that you take your friends and get out of here!' He yelled the last part at the four gang members in front of him. The gang member sneered, and turned on his feet, leaving the flat accompanied by the remaining three gang members. That meant that it was now Emerald, Rick and Shell who were the oldest of them all._

_Rick and Shell left the surrounding crowd to approach Emerald. Both of their faces were deadly serious. 'You do realise that with the disappearance of them, we've just lost nearly every gang member who can actually use the guns?' She gestured towards the pitiful amount of weaponry assembled amongst the gang members. She herself sported a small handgun._

'_And you realise that we were never actually going to fight them in a pitched battle. No, here's my plan instead. I need one of you two to help me in this. One of us will draw the attention of the attacking gangs, and another person will draw the attention of the attacking police forces. Now, as we all know, no cars can get up here, which means that they must be coming by foot. Once we have the attention of them, we draw them into a trap by which they will face each other. The police will assume that they will have found us, and try to take them on. The gangs will obviously fight back with lethal force. While they fight amongst themselves, we will wait in the background to see what happens. Should the police win, we slip away back to the base. If the gangs win, then we attack them, taking advantage of their state. We will win here. There can be no defeat today, or we will face our ends.'_

_Shell and Rick nodded. Rick opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly interrupted by Shell before he had even gotten a word out of his mouth. 'I want to help you, Emerald. Let me distract one of them, it'll be an honour to do that.'_

_Emerald nodded, knowing that Shell was useful in a fight and would excel at this, hopefully. 'Alright,' he said grimly. 'Let's go then.'_

_End flashback_

Of course, long story short, Emerald had been proven right. He had led the gangs, and Shell had led the police, into a enclosed area that was perfect for a killing ground. And a killing ground it was. The gangs, as it turned out, were easily overwhelmed by the police, who had brought special police teams precisely for the purpose of capturing them. And when they were opened fire upon, well, they opened fire back. It took a few minutes before the gangs were mopped up, half of them in custody. A few had tried to run at the end, but Emerald and the others had made sure to knock them out and leave them in obvious areas. The police were fooled, the gang survived, and the balance of power remained that way. At least, until now...

**Please, please, please review! It's what makes me keep writing! I almost couldn't be bothered to finish this after the day I posted the last chapter. But it was the fact that I had basically more or less written the chapter already that caused me to continue. Don't make this all in vain, but review!**


	4. Discovery

**Harry Potter and the Forced Hero**

**Hey guys, well, after last chapter, what can I say apart from...THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH! Over twenty of you reviewed for the chapter, which is probably the most people who have ever reviewed for any one of my chapters. So, I'm hoping we can do it again, and no have to suffer through another plea/blackmail that I give out. So, if any of you are drinking a drink when you are reading it, put your drinks in the air and say cheers to all of you for reviewing!**

**And here's to another twenty reviews!**

Remus Lupin, also known affectionately to various people as "Moony", "Professor Lupin" and plain old Remus, was currently standing outside of a door. He was currently in the house of an old friend and recent enemy of his, also known as Sirius Black, Stubby Boardman and "The Traitor Black". He was a recent enemy of his, as the majority of the Wizarding World, Lupin once amongst them, believed Sirius Black to have committed one of the worst, but the best crime, that had ever happened.

He was believed to be directly responsible for the murders of James and Lily Potter, who had named Sirius Black their Secret-Keeper. He gave them up to Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord of their times, and the most feared Dark Wizard that had existed in recent times, surpassing even Grindlewald. Of course, he was captured after Lord Voldemort's downfall at the hands of the child, Harry Potter, the son of his deceased parents. He was then arrested after killing another of his best friends, Peter Pettigrew. All of it, however, was a lie.

Sirius was never a Death Eater, and he would never join with Voldemort or betray James and Lily for any reason. Unbeknownst to nearly the whole of the Wizarding World, it was actually Peter Pettigrew who had been made the Secret-Keeper to James and Lily, reasoning that no-one would ever think of him as their Secret-Keeper. Sadly, Peter had been a traitor for Merlin knows how long, and betrayed Lilly and James to Voldemort, who then dispatched James and Lily before being defeated himself.

It had only been a year ago that Sirius had fled Azkaban Prison, fleeing to Hogwarts where he believed Peter to be. It had been a long year before Sirius had finally caught up to Peter, hiding for thirteen long years as a rat in the possession of Ron Weasley, a pupil at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, thanks to the Dementors of Azkaban Prison, and the fact that Remus had forgotten to take the Wolfsbane potion, specifically meant to suppress the Werewolf tendencies within him, gave Peter the opportunity to escape before being given to the Ministry, and having Sirius's name cleared. If it hadn't been for Dumbledore arriving at the nick of time to save Remus and Sirius from being Kissed by the Dementors of Azkaban, then they would both now be bodies with no purpose. Dumbledore, although the Minister of Magic didn't accept it, believed Sirius to be in fact innocent of his crimes, and had helped protect him. In return, Sirius allowed Dumbledore and the newly re-emerged Order of the Phoenix to use his family home.

It was at Sirius's family home right now that Remus was standing outside of a doorway through which three of his original pupils, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley were inside, Hermione excitedly going on about a idea she had, and Ginny and Ron sounding sceptical.

'But come on you two, it would be such an experience, and you'd get to see how Muggles really live!' She babbled excitedly.

'But Hermione,' Ron said, sounding extremely sceptical. 'They're _Muggles_. What do they have that Wizards don't? Come on, I know that that Skeeter woman can write up a good story, but she's probably making it sound better than it is to it to make it sell more stories.'

The story they were talking about had been writing by Rita Skeeter, who had recently been promoted onto the new section of the Daily Prophet, the Muggle Interests. Recently, they had done a section on Muggle music, and Rita Skeeter had been selected for this week's story. She had, instead of focusing on the big names of Muggle music, had gone small time. She had chosen a place close to home in London about a local band that had apparently been the best she'd seen in ages, surpassing even that of the Weird Witches. The amazing idea that Hermione had was to go and see the band. Of course, Ron and Ginny, being the pureblood wizards they were with little experience of Muggles apart from Muggleborns, had very little interest in doing so.

'Ron,' Hermione said, clearly annoyed. 'Just because you don't know what something is doesn't mean that you should just dismiss it as though it wasn't worth going to! Now we have been stuck in this house for ages now, and I for one do not intend on spending the whole of my summer holidays stuck here under the whims of your mother!' Both Ginny and Ron flinched back at Hermione's tone, and even Remus looked a bit startled.

'Well,' Ginny said softly. 'If we do go to see this band, how would we even get there in the first place?'

Hermione paused, before continuing. 'Well, we could ask your older brothers, Bill or Charlie. I don't see why they can't help out. And failing that...well, I guess we could ask Tonks. She'd be cool with it.'

Remus, at this point stepped in. 'Actually, Hermione,' he said, ignoring their jumps of surprise as he entered the room. 'I'm afraid that Bill is abroad doing a job for Gringotts, Charlie has been placed on the Potter Hunt and Tonks is on an assignment for the Order.'

'What assignment?' Ron asked, instantly interested in the whereabouts of the attractive Miss Tonks. Remus smiled wearily.

'I'm afraid that until you are inducted in the Order, Ronald, we cannot tell you any secrets. Even then, I daresay that your mother would have a thing or two about you joining.' He let out a small smile, knowing instantly what the overprotective mother of Ron and Ginny would say to her youngest two joining the Order.

'But Professor Lupin,' Hermione butted in. 'Is there any way that us three can go out to this band tomorrow night?'

Remus was interested now. He hadn't been to a Muggle club since...well, since his days at Hogwarts. 'What band is this?'

Ginny passed the Daily Prophet to Remus. 'It's a Muggle band called Death's Beat. They're meant to be something called "Hard Rock", and Hermione wants us to go look at the band tomorrow instead of staying inside yet again.' She looked at Hermione; obviously the pair of them were quite close. 'I agree with her really. Even if I don't agree with the idea of having to go see this Muggle band, it's still gotta be more interesting than having to stay indoors. We've spent practically the whole summer having to stay inside, all because of some fears that Death Eaters are trying to get their Master back alive.'

Remus looked serious all of a sudden. 'Now, Ginny, you know that the majority of these fears all have evidence to suggest that this is the case. I know you weren't here for Hermione's and Ronald's first year, but you were here for their second, and you know just as well as I do that that was no ordinary Dark Wizard.'

Ginny instantly look at the ground, her face covered by a shadow. Hermione took hold of Ginny's hand, smiling at her before giving Remus a glare. Ron looked upset as well. Remus sighed sadly. 'Look, Hermione, I know that you want to go do something this summer, but it is dangerous. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is trying to return, and he has people helping him, whether we like it or not.'

Hermione looked downcast. 'It's just one night of freedom...' She muttered sadly.

Remus sighed again, rubbing his face with his hand. He knew how they felt, the Marauder's during their fifth and sixth year's had felt contained and compressed inside of Hogwarts. They saw summer as a time for fun, for drinking and for trying to get with girls. He looked up, his mind made up. 'Alright then, Hermione.' Remus said, sternly. 'I'll talk to Molly for you, and I'll take you instead to the club if it's possible.'

Hermione looked up, her face excited with glee. She quickly hugged Remus, before running out of the room, calling to Ginny to come with her to help her pick out some clothes. Ginny quickly followed, Ron sighing and walking after the pair. Remus watched them leave, his mind returning to its ordinary gloom. It had been like that ever since Harry had turned out to be missing.

Where are you, Harry? He thought wistfully, before leaving to try and find Molly to try and persuade her to release Ron and Ginny into his care for tomorrow night.

--

Meanwhile, no more than a few dozen miles away in London, Emerald blearily got up from his mess of a bedroom. He grunted various acknowledgements to the people who he met on his way to the kitchen go grab a can of coke. He decided on the way to the kitchens to not bother running today. It was far too late for that, as far as he was concerned. Unlike other mornings, when Emerald made sure to wake up in the early hours of the morning, today, he had decided to indulge himself and sleep until 11 in the morning.

As he entered the kitchen, he was greeted by the sight of Shell sipping on a hot cup of coffee. She arched an eyebrow at him as he entered, taking in his dishevelled appearance. 'Another bad night?' She said sympathetically. After all, it hadn't been that long ago since Emerald had been inflicted with severe nightmares and harsh migraines.

Emerald shook his head dismissively. 'Nah, not one of those. I just couldn't...well, you know what I mean.'

Shell nodded, and turned back to her coffee. Emerald wandered over to the fridge, taking out a can of coke and gulped it down. Shell watched Emerald with idle curiouristy. 'You know,' she started. 'You really shouldn't drink this early in the morning.'

Emerald looked at her, amused. 'You know,' he started. 'You shouldn't be fucking guys at this time of your life.'

She winked at him cockily. 'So you're saying I should sleep with girls instead?'

That particular question was never answered by Emerald, as Rick suddenly walked in, having heard the end of the sentence.

'As wonderful as it would be for the female species, darling, the loss to the male world would be devastating; therefore I must beg of you to never change a single bit.' Rick said with a smirk on his face.

Shell fanned herself with her hand. 'Alas, the responsibility that rests upon my shoulders! What to do, what to do...' Giving up on her playful bantering with Rick, she turned back to Emerald. 'So, Emerald, how much money do we have no after last night's binge?'

Emerald felt around in his pockets, pulling out the wad of money. He briefly checked through it, before answering her. 'I'd say we only spent a hundred yesterday, so we basically have about £1,900 quid left. Why do you want to know?'

Shell put her hand out. 'You know as well as I do that I'm the person who looks after the money for the others. The rest of you are either tight bastards, or thieving bastards. Take your pick there.'

'Leave us with a hundred then?'

Shell shrugged. 'You're the boss, take it.'

Emerald smiled gratefully at her, taking out five £20's and giving the rest to Shell. He briefly stayed in the kitchen, watching Shell and Rick banter playfully with each other. Emerald finally drained the last drop of coke from his can, before chucking it in the bin and standing up. Rick and Shell looked up as he stood, stretching his back.

'You off?' Rick asked.

'Yeah, I feel like getting a decent breakfast for once, so I'm going to head down to a cafe or somewhere.'

'See you in a bit then.' Shell answered as she turned back to Rick, a small smirk on her face.

Walking through the flat, Emerald left the flat, walked through the mazes of alleyways and into the main street where hardly any gang members went, for fear of recognition and imprisonment by the authorities. However, Emerald was pretty sure that he didn't have a file. And if he did...well, that was too bad for him. But either way, he wasn't going to let paranoia take over his life and prevent him from living it to the fullest. And until that changed, he was taking full advantage of that. And one particular part of that would be going out in public where he could just enjoy himself.

Walking into a café, he sat himself down, ordered a cup of coffee and a sandwich. He smirked at several people who stared at him openly because of his tattoo on the side of his face, and the blatantly obvious muscles that were under his clothes. In particular, two girls whispered to each other, looking at him before quickly turning back and giggling. He eyed the pair of them up.

One girl was a white blonde girl, her long hair was clearly straightened, and it hung freely down her back. She was a very pretty girl, but was clearly an attention seeker, as to get her hair and her make up done like that, it would take several hours. He'd learnt that from when Shell went through a period, and had conscripted both him and Rick. The other girl was clearly Indian. Her hair was worn in a ponytail. While Emerald had never really managed to see the difference in looks in women who weren't white, he had to admit she was pretty. Both of them would get a lot of attention from guys whether they went. It was just a shame that it didn't really work on him. If they wanted it, then they would have to come and get it.

As he ate, the noticed the girls were definitely paying close attention to him. They were looking at him intently, with amusement he noticed that it was with lust. Still, it was pretty obvious that the two girls weren't use to having to get what they wanted, as it usually came to them. Emerald sighed; he may as well help them partly. He got up and walked to the bathroom, noting that the two girl's eyes watched him carefully as he entered. As soon as he was in, he smirked. If he was right, and he usually was, one of the girls would conveniently be outside and would accidently walk into him, thereby creating an excuse to talk to him. He grinned a little, and who was he to stop that from happening?

As he walked out, he saw everything happen before it actually did. The blonde haired girl walked into him, and with masterful acting, fell to the ground. The Indian girl was in the background, watching. Emerald played his part, knowing it like the back of his hand. He took the girl's hands and lifted her back up, before smiling at her.

'I'm sorry,' the girl started, smiling flirtatiously. 'Are you alright?'

Emerald smiled what was known to his gang members as his "award-winning-smile". He had been told many times by girls that it had made their knees weak. From the looks of this girl, it seemed to be working as well.

'Thank you for your concern, but I'm alright. And how are you, miss…?'

She blushed, quite prettily, so Emerald thought. 'I'm Lavender, Lavender Brown. And you are…?

He smiled, 'Emerald, just Emerald.' Her eyes widened slightly in recognition of the name. Emerald mentally groaned as he suspected what was coming next. The _damned _article!

'You're that Emerald guy, aren't you? I should've realised! You're meant to be brilliant when you play your concerts! Some of my friends went to one of your concerts ages ago, and they said that you were bloody brilliant!' She clapped her hands together in glee, not seeing Emerald's amused smile. Lavender waved over her friend. 'This is Parvati, my best friend.' Parvati smiled at Emerald as Lavender turned to Parvati. 'This is the mythical "Emerald"!'

Parvati's eyes widened and she looked at Emerald again. Her mouth gaped slightly. 'Holy shit, are you seriously him?' At Emerald's nod, her eyes turned slightly suspicious. 'How do we know you're really him though?' She looked at the side of his face, still partially covered by his hood, hiding most of his facial features and the tattoo. Obviously, Parvati knew about his tattoo. 'Pull down your hood,' she demanded. Emerald sighed, and pulled back his hood, showing his face. Instantly, the two girls gasped in a mixture of lust and shock. The two girls in particular stared at the snake tattoo he had on his face.

'Awesome…' Lavender whispered in awe.

Parvati could only nod in agreement, but she also had a small disgusted look on her face. Emerald glared at her. 'What's your problem now?' She had a serious problem; it was only a fucking tattoo!

She shook her head. 'Its – its nothing.' At Emerald's look, she sighed. 'It's just…well, why a snake?'

Emerald smirked as he sat at a random empty table, followed by the other two girls. He started to explain why he had chosen the tattoo. 'Well, the snake represents several things to me. Firstly, I don't know why, but it represents cunning. I live a hard life, and if you only rely on your pure muscle, then your never going to get anywhere in life. I've always loved snakes as well. They just appeal to me. Not only that, but it also serves as an intimidation tactic when I need it. It begets loyalty through fear to those who would betray me otherwise. It conceals my face and it creates an image that I have little doubt I would be able to keep otherwise. And finally, it draws people. I mean, it drew you two, didn't it?' he grinned at the last remark, making the two girls blush.

'It's not that we don't like the tattoo,' Parvati said. 'We just don't like the image that you chose for it.'

'Yeah,' Lavender shuddered. 'Snakes are icky, all slimy and nasty.'

Emerald laughed out loud at that statement, causing the two girls to jump. 'Believe me; snakes are not slimy, nasty nor icky. They're brilliant creatures. Besides, even if they were, why does it matter to you exactly?' The girls just shrugged their shoulders. 'Right…'Emerald decided to get to the point. 'Listen, girls, how would you both like to come to my concert tonight? And maybe afterwards we could hit a few clubs.' He grinned at them. The two girls looked at each other, obviously liking the idea before they turned back to Emerald.

'Sounds good to me, Lavender?'

'Yeah, I could probably make it.'

Emerald grinned. 'Alright then,' he grabbed a napkin and wrote down where the concert was taking place on it, before handing it to them. 'This is the address of the concert. Now, once I've finished, I'll meet the pair of you. Just wait outside of the club. Alright?' The two girls nodded eagerly.

--

Emerald sighed deeply, waiting in the background of the stage. He and the others were at the side of the stage, waiting for someone to finally announce him and the band. After the debacle with the other club and the consequent "murder" of the club owner, there were plenty of other places eager to take him. For once, Emerald had his pick of the best clubs that could pay him and the band plenty of money. Currently, a two-bit DJ was playing various techno tunes.

The underground concert was completely packed full of bodies. The rumours that Emerald was playing tonight had proven true, and all the people who had come out, hoping that the rumours were true, had been rewarded. In one area of the concert, Lavender and Parvati danced with two hot guys, grinding their bodies against the two guys.

In the other area, a bewildered and cramped Ronald Weasley was sandwiched between several people, hardly able to move. Ginny and Hermione were dancing with each other to the techno music that served as a prelude to the main entertainment. An amused Lupin was standing at the side of the underground music hall, remembering past memories when the Marauders used to sneak out at night and go to clubs, just like this one. Those had been the days. He missed James in particular, both he and Sirius did. He often wondered what had happened to Harry, James' son. He remembered the first day he had met little Harry. He had clutched his finger so hard, that James remarked that he would without doubt be the finest Seeker that Hogwarts would ever field. Alas, it was not to be. He had been there when Albus had personally gone to the Dursleys when he had found out that no letter had actually reached them. He was suddenly drawn out from his thoughts when the techno music stopped and an announcer walked out onto the stage.

Within a few seconds, the entire crowd held their breath, creating an unnatural silence that filled the entire hall. The announcer finally made it to the centre of the stage, where behind him; curtains masked whatever was behind it. He coughed.

'Ladies and Gentlemen, we are proud to present tonight, the greatest, most badass and strongest band around this area, "Loves Blood"!' The man yelled the name of the band, and at that, the curtain fell to the ground and red mist burst out into the stage.

Remus stiffened.

That, that smell…there was an odd smell that he hadn't smelt since James and Lily had died, and Harry had been taken… His eyes widened. _Harry?_ But where? He eagerly looked around the room, hoping to find a miniature James somewhere in the room. No, nothing…but that smell that was definitely Harry's smell! But where was it coming from? He sniffed, it was definitely coming from the stage area, was Harry in that band? He looked over the band members.

The lead member was definitely a candidate. His face was covered up by a hood, and what appeared to be a tattoo. He shuddered, if that was Harry, then James would be rolling over in his grave, he had a snake for a tattoo! The other band members were clearly not James, as two of them were girls; another guy was Asian and the other guy looked nothing alike. Harry couldn't have been using a polyjuice potion or a concealment charm, as he knew nothing about the Wizarding world, right?

There was only one real candidate then who could be Harry James Potter, the lead singer, the one who wore a repulsive tattoo, the one who had clearly been corrupted by life. He shuddered, Dumbledore had to know about this. They had to get Harry away from this life before he went down the wrong path even further. He'd resist, no doubt, but like Dumbledore always said, it was for the Greater Good. He didn't know why it was that Dumbledore needed him, but clearly he was important for the safety of the Wizarding World, even if it had forsaken him. He looked to see the others. Hermione was busy dancing with another guy, while Ron watched enviously. Ginny had gone to a bar, where he was thankful to see that she had limited herself to Muggle fizzy drinks. She was in a conversation with a pretty blonde, and seemed to be enjoying herself. He sighed, it could wait then. Harry had probably waited his whole life for someone to take him away from all this, so he could wait for a few hours.

But he would be liberated.


	5. Meeting the best friends

**Meeting the best friends**

Emerald walked briskly through the cold streets of London, filled with laughing people, some arranged in groups, some walking in pairs with each other. Emerald, after the concert had picked up the money, all £300 worth of it, handing over £250 to Shell before taking his money to the club tonight. Call it a hunch, if you will, but something told him that the money would be necessary tonight.

Arriving at the club where he had arranged to meet both Lavender and Parvati, he nodded his acknowledgement to the bouncer, Elric, Emerald recalled casually. That was his name. If he remembered rightly, he'd helped out him once during a fight with a group of drunks at this very club. Of course, that being said, he was also drunk at the time, so for all he knew, he was the one who started the fight.

Entering the club, bypassing those outside in a line waiting to go inside, Emerald chucked his coat at an attendant before entering through two double doors. As soon as the doors opened, a wave of loud noise pounded at his ears, music thumped a beat of 4 by 4, an easy song to dance to. The evidence showed in the amount of people on the dance floor, some people dancing together, others on their own, and some few with alcohol. He grimaced as he realised that it would be likely that the club tonight would probably end in a punch-up, and he had only _just _managed to get the slight swelling on his jaw to go down!

Glancing around, he saw a flash of blonde hair. Hoping it was Lavender; Emerald pushed and shoved his way through the crowd, ignoring the gasps and cries of the people who he left behind him. After about a minute of pushing, he finally made it over to where he'd seen the blonde hair. A small smile of relief hit his face as he found that it actually was Lavender, dancing on her own to the music, a small grin on her face. Emerald made his way behind her, slipping an arm around her waist and putting his mouth close to her ear.

'Hey Lavender.' Lavender gasped and spun around, Emerald keeping an arm on her waist, keeping her close to him.

'Emerald! Hey!' Lavender half yelled, half shouted. Emerald looked up and down her with a critical eye. He gave a small smile in approval of what she was wearing. Her makeup only composed of purple eyeliner with a hint of black mascara on her upper eyelid. On her top half of her body, she wore a tank top that highlighted her more than generous bosom. The top certainly wasn't subtle, but it definitely showed off what she had. And lastly, a pair of shorts that showed off a nice pair of legs. Looking at her critically, Emerald had to admit that she was absolutely gorgeous. Catching him looking at her, she winked at him, clearly amused.

'How'd you get into the club then, your only what, fourteen? Fifteen?'

'Fourteen, but what about you, your seventeen?'

Emerald chuckled. 'I'm as old as you are.'

Lavender's eyes widened. 'You're only fourteen?' At Emerald's nod, it seemed that her eyes became even wider. 'But you have a tattoo! And...And you're in a band! And you're...'

Emerald burst out laughing. 'Yeah, I'm a lot of things. And yeah, you've listed some good stuff about my life, but it's not all rainbows and sunshine.' He smirked cockily at her, making her giggle. He looked around the crowded room suddenly. 'Hey, Lavender, where's Parvati?'

Lavender pointed in a general direction. 'She's around there, somewhere, getting a drink I think.'

Emerald nodded. 'Right, is it just you and Parvati then?'

Lavender nodded. 'Yeah, it's just the two of us. We don't usually hang out with other people, me and Parvati have been friends like since our first year at Hog – at our boarding school.'

Emerald raised his eyebrows. 'You both go to a boarding school? Where at?'

Lavender shrugged. 'Some place up in Scotland.'

Emerald chuckled. 'So what, you basically don't go back to your homes for something like, most of the y ear?' At Lavender's nod, Emerald chuckled some more. 'So what the hell do you both do down there for entertainment? I highly doubt that they let you go out at nights for clubbing.'

Lavender shuddered slightly, 'you got that right. I mean, I like going there and all, but it gets _so _boring! I swear that I'd pull my hair out in frustration if I didn't like it so much.' She put a hand on her hair reflexively. Emerald smirked a little bit as he put his hand on her hair, stroking it. He pretended to not notice Lavender's look of adoration and bliss as Emerald stroked for a few seconds longer. He then quickly let go, turning away from her. He smiled slightly at the thought of her face when she realised that he had stopped.

'So then,' he said in a nonchalant voice. 'Shall we go find Parvati then?'

'Uh, yeah.' Lavender said, sounding slightly dazed. 'Right...Parvati...yeah, she's somewhere...yeah, let's go.'

Emerald couldn't help but chuckle slightly, unheard in the loud music paying in the club. Lavender pushed her way through the crowd, moving through groups and smiling prettily at anyone who looked at her in annoyance. Emerald didn't bother with such niceties, simply shoving and barging her way through, ignoring the calls of frustration and annoyance behind him. Whilst Lavender could be compared to a delicate butterfly, Emerald could be compared to a barging rhino. They quickly made their way to the crowd, finally reaching a slightly thinner area of people. There, dancing to the music with her eyes closed and her arms in the air was Parvati. Behind Lavender's back, Emerald slipped away, just before Parvati opened her eyes.

'Hey, Parvati!' Lavender said in Parvati's ear, drawing close to her.

Parvati opened her eyes to look at Lavender, a small smile on her face. 'Lavender, hey!' She said excitedly. 'This was probably the best idea you've had since...like, ever!'

Lavender grinned at her. 'I know, it is, isn't it? Anyway, Emerald's just got here!'

Parvati looked behind Lavender, eagerly seeking out Emerald. She frowned slightly when she couldn't see him. 'Where?' She asked in confusion.

Lavender turned to look behind her as well, both of them not noticing Emerald slipping behind Parvati. He put a hand around her waist and pushed his body slightly against hers. 'Guess who?' He hissed softly into her ear. Parvati jumped slightly, turning around to see who was there. When she saw Emerald, she grinned.

'Emerald, hey!' Not looking behind her, she tapped Lavender on the back. When Lavender turned around, she giggled slightly upon seeing Emerald.

'How'd you get there so quick?' She said, wagging a finger in mock-disapproval, her face grinning.

'Magic,' he said simply, smirking at her. However, at Parvati and Lavender's shocked looking faces, he raised an eyebrow. 'What?'

Parvati was the first to recover. 'Nothing, it doesn't matter. It's just...an odd phrase to use really. Isn't it Lavender?' She discretely nudged Lavender in the side. Lavender, at the jolt nodded with Parvati.

'Yeah...a weird phrase.'

'Right...' Emerald drawled out, his disbelief obvious. There was a small awkward silence for a while as all three stood, Emerald watching Lavender and Parvati, while they both looked at the ground. Finally, Emerald broke the silence.

'So, does either of you two fancy getting a drink from the bar?' Emerald said, looking at the two of them.

Parvati nodded, pulling out some money. 'Yeah, how much do you want?'

Emerald waved a hand. 'No, no, don't be daft.' He said, smiling at the pair of them. 'I have loads of money thanks to that concert tonight. My treat, don't worry.'

Parvati opened her mouth to say something, but Lavender nudged her, shaking her head slightly. Parvati closed her mouth slowly, her face looking slightly disappointed. Lavender turned back to Emerald, smiling at him. 'Thank you Emerald that would be really nice of you to do that for us.' Emerald acknowledged her with a smile, making her knees go slightly weak, before he went off in the direction of the bar, pushing his way through the crowd.

As soon as he left, Lavender turned excitedly to Parvati. 'Oh my God, but he is so _hot_!'

Parvati giggled. 'You think anything that's male and walks on two legs is hot.'

Lavender rolled her eyes, pushing Parvati lightly. 'You know what I mean, have you seen him? It's like wow...' She let the last word last out, grinning as she did it.

'He is hot, I suppose. He's got that _edge_, if you know what I mean.'

'That dangerous one?'

'Yeah, that one.'

'I'm not surprised that I'm attracted to that, really. I mean, you hardly ever see it around these days. Especially at Hogwarts. I'm telling you, not _one _of them has actually experienced any kind of danger. They're all puff but not blow.'

Lavender giggled. 'I know what you mean. Like with that Malfoy. Have you seen how he walks around the school, expecting everyone to fall all over him as though he was the single greatest wizard since Merlin?'

Parvati smirked. 'I know, although, from what I've heard, he isn't all man _down there_, if you get my meaning.'

Lavender and Parvati exploded into giggles just as Emerald returned back to them, his hands juggling three drinks. The glasses juggled dangerously, almost tipping onto their sides with only a quick reaction from Emerald stopping it from falling onto the floor. Emerald grinned in amusement as he rolled them to and fro. 'You know,' he said conversably, 'if you want to drink, I'd take it quickly from me.' He winced as another glass almost tipped over. Lavender and Parvati hastily took a glass from Harry, both taking a sip at the same time. At the taste of their drinks, both Parvati and Lavender's eyes went wide, and Parvati even let some of it go back into her drink.

When Lavender had recovered, she looked at Emerald in shock. 'You got us alcohol?'

Emerald smirked at her. 'Well, if you don't want it, I'm sure that I can go get it changed back for something else, say warmed milk?' He winked at her, cutting off any angry retort from Lavender. He gained a giggle from Parvati.

'How the hell did you manage to get alcohol? You're only 14 years old!'

'Ladies, thanks to this,' Emerald tapped his tattoo meaningfully. 'This,' he pointed at his clothes. 'And this,' he gestured to his whole body. 'I easily look over the age of eighteen. I reckon you could as well, with some work.'

'What like?'

'Some makeup for one, perhaps some older looking clothes. Yeah, you'd look eighteen, easily. But the way your dressed right now...how on earth did you both manage to get in?'

Lavender grinned. 'It's not really that hard, to be honest. All you have to do is show off a little bit of skin, and the bouncers will let you go through as though you weren't even there. It's amazing.' Parvati grinned as well.

Emerald smirked. 'So how much skin are we talking about here then?'

Lavender gasped with shock and glee. 'Aren't we curious!' She smirked at both Parvati and Emerald. 'Tell you what though,' she came closer to Emerald, whispering in his ear, 'If you're a good boy, maybe I'll show you some of that skin later.' Her tongue quickly flickered over his ear before she dodged back, sharing a smirk with Parvati.

'I'll have to hold you to that,' Emerald murmured softly. 'I must say, the prospect makes me quite...excited.' Both Parvati and Lavender shuddered, despite themselves, in pleasure. The sound of his voice made both of them feel quite excited themselves.

'So then,' Emerald said, standing back slightly. 'Who wants to show me off on the dance floor first then?'

Both Parvati and Lavender looked at Emerald, then at each other. Both of them grinned evilly at the same time, before both of them took one of Emerald's arms each and took him to the dance floor. Parvati ground herself into Emerald at the front, rubbing suggestively with her body at Emerald's waist. Lavender writhed expertly around Emerald's back, her hands rubbing his body. Emerald simply smirked at the attentions of both the two girls. Several onlookers watched the three of them, some with casual interest and a few with wide open, gob stopping mouths.

It was one of the latter who decided to take it too far, as some people always seem to do. A guy, who looked to be half drunk, approached Lavender from behind, wrenching her off of Emerald and pulling her towards him, his arms going around her as he leered suggestively at her. Lavender instantly grimaced and tried push him back, although the man only held onto her longer. Parvati stopped dancing with Emerald, her eyes narrowing in anger. Emerald instantly stepped up to the task, turning towards the guy and pulling Lavender out of his grasp. He then stepped into the man's personal space, his eyes narrowed in anger.

'What the hell do you think you're doing, mate?'

'What does it look like?' The man drawled.

'Why the hell don't you tell me?'

'Listen, kid, why don't you go back home to mummy and daddy? Leave the real thing to be big boys –'

BANG!

Emerald simply decked the man in the mouth, before kicking him in the stomach. The man gagged and wheezed for breath, while Emerald stood above him, his snake seemingly shifting for an instant, before it went still again. No one noticed, except for Emerald, who felt a slight itching where his tattoo was.

'Want another go?' He asked mockingly, ignoring the crowd assembling around where the fight was. Obviously, one of the mates of the guy Emerald had just decked _did _want a go, as one of them rushed Emerald, his fist landing in Emerald's chin. Emerald rocked back and forth in an instant, his foot smashing into the man's knee as Emerald unleashed a devastating kick at the man. A sound of bones breaking reached the ears of the crowd, several of whom winced at the sound. Suddenly, two bouncers appeared out of nowhere, taking into account the two men on the ground, and Emerald who stood above them both. Both of the two men looked at Emerald hostilely, their fists clenching. Emerald, knowing when a fight could and couldn't be won, held his hands up in front of him in submission.

'I didn't start this,' Emerald said loudly and clearly. 'The two of them attacked me. They can both back me up in this.' He pointed at Lavender and Parvati behind him, both of whom nodded in agreement. The two bouncers looked at each other, and nodded.

'Alright then, either way, you're going to have to leave. We don't want any trouble, but you're not welcome here.'

Emerald shrugged. 'Alright then, your loss.'

Emerald turned to leave, walking towards where his coat was. He heard two footsteps behind him. He looked behind him, and saw to his pleasure Lavender and Parvati.

'Thanks,' Lavender said softly. 'That guy was really...ugh!' She finished with a shiver.

Parvati rolled her eyes. 'Oh please, like it's never happened to you.'

Lavender shrugged. 'Even so, it's still disgusting, every time it happens.'

Emerald listened to the two girls argue idly as he picked up his coat, tugging his arms into its sleeves. He wondered what they could do now, that they had been kicked out. They could go to other clubs, sure, but quite honestly, most clubs weren't anywhere near the standard that this particular club. It was quite a blow having been kicked out, hopefully it wouldn't last, otherwise, Shell would probably murder him.

Literally.

A few minutes later, Lavender and Parvati had located their coats and had wandered outside with Emerald to see what they could do. Emerald proposed that they simply wander around till they find something to do. In the absence of anything to do, Lavender and Parvati both agreed to his idea. While the three of them wandered around, the three of them chatting without any real purpose, Emerald found his mind wandering to what he thought of the two girls.

Both of them were pretty hot girls for their age, with some puppy fat left on them, but that was definitely leaving them as they discovered the wonders of puberty and "adult" things such as make up. But honestly, there seemed to be something about them that was lacking. There was something about them that just didn't seem to add up. The two girls seemed to be acting secretively at times, whilst Emerald was left in the dark. Emerald would probably be the first to admit that he wasn't the same. Normally, he would leave people's secrets where they were. Emerald had a policy of not trying to find trouble, normally because it found him. But even so, there was something about the two of them that just didn't add up. Like with his comment earlier, when he referred to "magic", the two girls looked as though their world had come crumbling down their shoulders. It was just so...weird.

Suddenly, Parvati interrupted his train of thoughts by halting suddenly, and sniffing. Almost at once, a grin broke out on her face and she looked at Emerald and Lavender. 'Guess what I smell?' She said in a singsong voice, grinning at Lavender. Lavender giggled, rolling her eyes. At Emerald's confused face, she turned to him. 'Parvati has a "super power", you see. A super power that rivals Superman, which can even rival Spiderman and even Merlin himself. I can see in your eyes that you are curious,' she said in a mock dramatic voice. 'The great power, that Parvati boasts, is...the ability to smell burgers!'

Emerald burst out laughing, joined quickly by Lavender and Parvati. 'So then...which way do we go, Parvati?' Emerald said amidst his laughter.

Parvati trotted off in a direction, followed quickly by Lavender, who flashed him a grin and beckoned Emerald to follow the pair of them. The two of them followed Parvati, who halted every so often and took a sniff. A few streets later, they ended up in front of a burger van. Parvati reached it first, buying a hamburger. Lavender did the same as Parvati, and only Emerald did differently, buying a cheeseburger.

Amidst of his burger, Emerald managed a sentence as they found themselves near the River Thames and onto a bench that was relatively dry. 'You know, I wouldn't have expected two ladies like you to be eating stuff like this.'

Lavender waved her hand dismissively. 'This? This is nothing really compared to what we have to eat at our school.'

'What kind of stuff do you eat?'

Parvati shuddered slightly. 'It's all really fatty food, no real healthy stuff there at all. Stuff like Sunday Roasts, except they're served every day. Um...black pudding, sheppard's pie, steak and kidney pies, um...' The shudder became more pronounced. 'Can we not talk about it, please? I feel quite sickly just at the thought of all the food there.'

Emerald's eyebrows rose. 'You mean that school of yours doesn't offer up any healthy alternatives or vegan choice? I don't know where you've been living, but hasn't the government forced all schools to provide healthy choices?'

Parvati shrugged. 'Not in our school, so it seems.'

Emerald smiled in slight sympathy. 'Unlucky for you two then, I guess.'

There was a brief comfortable silence, in which Emerald found himself in the middle of the two girls, both of them lying on the side of the bench with their feet up on Emerald's lap. Emerald had his arms around the two girls, both of whom huddled up quietly against the side of his body. His hands stroked their hair, which the two of them clearly appreciated as they closed their eyes, and occasionally let out a murmur of pleasure. Emerald couldn't say how long the three of them stayed like that, but eventually, Parvati got up from the bench, sitting close to Emerald, looking him seriously in the eyes. Slowly, the two of them drew closer, and their lips met together. The two of them remained kissing for a few seconds, when suddenly Lavender rustled, and lay there watching them, clearly amused.

'About time one of us got there then, I suppose. Shame it weren't me though.'

Parvati giggled slightly, pulling away from Emerald. 'Well, my dear Lavender, I daresay that Emerald wouldn't mind if you gave him a kiss as well. I certainly don't mind.'

Emerald raised his eyebrows. 'You don't mind?' He asked, half jokingly.

Parvati shrugged. 'I don't really see this going anywhere, do you? The fact that both me and Lavender are at school for the greater half of the year won't leave us any real time to do anything boyfriend-girlfriend stuff, will it? The same goes for Lavender, so again, what's the point, really? This is basically the first snog I've had all summer, and I think I speak for Lavender when I say she hasn't either. So this would make a nice end to a decent summer having a snog with a guy, who, despite the tattoo,' she winked at that. 'Is still pretty hot.'

Lavender giggled. 'I like her reasoning, do you Emerald?' She said, suggestively.

Emerald smiled appreciatively. 'I certainly have no complaints with the situation.'

Lavender half giggled as she moved in closer to Emerald, who met her halfway as their lips collided with each other. A brief period of a few seconds occurred as their two lips explored each other, before Lavender slipped her tongue into Emerald's mouth, exploring it hungrily.

Parvati laughed, 'whoa, down girl. It's already hot enough without you having to add to it.'

Lavender broke away, somewhat unwillingly, from Emerald. She mock-pouted to Parvati. 'Aw, you went and put me off now. Now I'm not going to be able to get back into it.'

Emerald chuckled lowly. 'I think I might be able to help you out with that,' he murmured as he leant in again, kissing Lavender who responded with enthusiasm.

'Heyup, what about me?' Parvati said, sounding offended. Emerald broke away from Lavender, who groaned loudly with disappointment as Emerald and Parvati kissed again, this time, Parvati slipping in a hint of tongue as she brushed his mouth with her tongue before it withdrew back into her mouth. Her eyes sparkled with glee as she broke away and Lavender pulled Emerald back towards him.

Emerald certainly had no complaints that night, as both Parvati and Lavender swapped Emerald between them whenever the fancy took them. It was with a definite yes that Emerald would say that he had enjoyed the night. After all, what guy wouldn't?

Certainly not this particular guy.

After what seemed to be several hours, Parati gasped and pulled Lavender from Emerald, who looked at her in slight disappointment. 'What now?' she asked petulantly.

'It's 4'00 in the morning!' Parvati said, clearly panicking. 'Padma said she'd only cover for us up until half four, we have to leave, now!'

Lavender groaned in disappointment. 'Couldn't we stay for a few minutes longer?'

'No!' Parvati said loudly, looking at Emerald with sadness. 'We really have to leave!'

Lavender sighed softly, her head bowing slightly in disappointment. Emerald watched the two of them grab their coats from the bench, Parvati passing Lavender a piece of gum. Lavender shook her head at the offered gum. 'Nah, I like the taste in my mouth already.' She said with a grin, looking at Emerald.

Parvati raised an eyebrow. 'You do realise that that taste in your mouth is also from my mouth as well?'

'Eww!' Lavender squealed, taking the gum hastily and putting it in her mouth. Emerald rolled his eyes, a grin spreading across his face.

Finally, the two girls had gathered their stuff and had turned to face Emerald.

'It's not likely we'll see each other again,' Parvati said sadly. 'If we do come back, though, you can bet that we'll look you up, without a doubt.'

Emerald nodded. 'For the foreseeable future, I'm guessing I'll be around here. I'll probably be still doing concerts, so hopefully it shouldn't be that hard to find me.'

Parvati nodded, just as Lavender darted forward. 'If we don't ever see each other again, this is my goodbye gift then.' She pulled his face down to hers, kissing him hungrily. As she broke away, Parvati strode forward, also kissing him as well. She stroked his tattooed side of the face idly.

'You know,' she said softly. 'I don't mind snakes as much anymore now.' She kissed him quickly on the lips, before grabbing Lavender who looked like she was about to go kiss Emerald again, and pulling her away.

Emerald watched the two of them leave, feeling quite sad. Still, it would pass. He had done things like this before, although not with two girls. But even so, Emerald had a feeling that those two girls would remain in his thoughts for quite a long time and in his memory for even longer. Hopefully, he would see the pair of them again.

In fact, he was betted on it.


	6. Captured

**Captured**

**Hey guys, thank you for your reviews. They were really helpful. However, I would like to address some issues that some people have pointed out. Firstly, I was asked why it was that with the original story of the Forced Hero, the chapters were much longer than they were in this story. I would like to say that basically, you're asking for quantity over quality. Yeah, some of these chapters will be a lot shorter than they originally where. However, they include a lot more detail, and there are new parts of the story that I would like to be introduced in the story that will be.**

**If anyone has any questions that are directly linked to the chapters already posted of the rewrite of the Forced Hero, and aren't going to provide any spoilers for later chapters, please, PM me or send me a review. I'll try and address questions that might clear up points that are confusing in the story. Otherwise, just read and review. That's all I'm asking.**

Emerald wandered back to the gang house, whistling cheerfully as he thought back on the events of the night. He hadn't had such a fun night in ages. He had hung out with Parvati and Lavender; two girls that he had met in a cafe, and there he had what would probably rank up to be one of the best nights of his life. And seeing as the night was almost over, it was highly unlikely that anything _would _happen to him within the last few hours of the night.

Suddenly, Emerald leapt into a side alley, hiding himself in the dark. He quickly crouched low, holding a knife that he had kept in his waistline in front of him as he listened intently. Emerald wasn't sure, but he believed that he had just heard someone or something behind him. Perhaps he was just being paranoid, but he highly doubted that he had lived this long without being cautious. And he was definitely sure that he had heard something behind him. And he was hardly ever wrong...

He listened intently, staying still for around ten seconds before he heard something. Shuffling footsteps ran quickly down the alleyway that Emerald had just been going down to. Emerald made ready to strike, his knife gripped hard in his hand, and his feet read to leap out at the enemy. He wondered briefly whether he would bother taking the person back to the base, or whether he would just kill them now. The footsteps came closer...only a few steps away now. Emerald made ready, only a few seconds now...suddenly, Emerald heard the footsteps walk directly past the alleyway. But the strange thing was...that there was no body accompanying those footsteps. The footsteps went past the alleyway, going faster as though they had realised that they had lost Emerald somewhere. He remained still for a few minutes more, waiting to see if the footsteps came back.

Finally, Emerald let himself relax, although his mind remained on full alert, trying to process what had just happened. Was it an alien or something? What else could turn the hell invisible? Nothing, as far as Emerald knew. And even if that existed, why would anyone use it on him? Surely they would be using it on terrorists or people who actually _deserved_ to be captured. As far as he knew, Emerald hadn't done anything much to deserve the attention of those things. But no matter what the reason was Emerald couldn't be careless now. If those invisible things were following him, then he would have to simply go on a hunt. He smirked maliciously; he hadn't been on a hunt for quite some time...

Meanwhile, just a few alleys away from where Emerald had hid himself, an angry looking Tonks quickly looked around the small alley she had disappeared into, before casting a Patronus. Crouching before her Chameleon Patronus, she gave it a message. 'Dumbledore, I'm afraid that I've been unable to pick up Harry. He ran off somewhere and successfully avoided me before I could get close to him. However, I believe that I have the general location of Harry. If we're going to find him, then I advise you bring down Remus to sniff him out.' As the Patronus left to wherever Dumbledore was, Tonks wearily stood up and walked back to where she had previously lost Harry. Hopefully, it would be there that she could pick up the trail without using Remus. But then again, if Emerald was as good as local rumour around the town had been, then it was extremely unlikely that she would ever find him on her own without help.

Quickly conjuring a chair, she sat down against the wall, her arms and legs folded as she settled down, ready to wait for a few hours longer for the Order of the Phoenix to arrive to where she was.

--

Emerald, after having lost the invisible person, had made several alternate false routes that served to cut back amongst themselves. Even in these unhelpful alleyways, where even the most experienced tracker could get lost if they weren't careful, you should always remain on your alert. In these mazes, no more than a few streets away from main town London, a whole different world existed. Not only did small time gangs such as Emerald's own gang live there, but so did prostitutes, pimps, rich kids looking for a hit and of course, the Mob. The Mob had taken an interest in London a while ago, and had found, in what was termed "The Underworld", a perfect place to set up. They had quickly established their mark there, killing and slaughtering various peoples. They mainly kept order in the Underworld, and apart from the occasional push from various law enforcement agencies, they had remained relatively stable. Of course, there were always people willing to try their luck in creating their own small "empire" here. However, what were most dangerous were the loners, or "the Crazies". They were quite simply crazy, always moving around the Underworld and killing anything in their way. On the outskirts of the "Underworld", however, there were relatively few, if any, who went around there. They hung more around the middle areas. Emerald never went there if he could help it. However, today, there was a difference.

He had no illusions that he was being hunted by something. To go back the normal routes was dangerous. If they had been following him for a long time, then it was probably likely that they knew the normal ways in which he went back. That meant he had to do something different, something unexpected. And this, well, the way in which he was going to definitely unexpected. The way in which he was going was populated with many groups, a few gang members, various prostitutes who whistled at him, and worst of all, the Crazies. At least three had passed him, their eyes blank and their teeth filed down. Apparently, the Crazies had only appeared not long ago, just fifteen years back. They had come and started slaughtering like crazy, and then, fourteen years ago, they had stopped all of a sudden. The inhabitants of the Underworld had of course, taken their revenge upon the Crazies, but it was as though they felt no pain. No matter what was done to them, they never talked; they just stared at you blankly as though they couldn't see you. They just...moaned. Not in pleasure or pain, but a deep dark groan. If one wanted to put a real name to them, one could compare them to a zombie, of course, the fact that they didn't attack you and didn't express a hunger for brains meant that, as unfortunate as it for conspiracy groups, they weren't zombies. And yet, sometimes people went missing in the night and the day. The only thing that was left of them once found was a bloody husk of a body that appeared to have teeth marks all over it. In short, unless you wanted to die, no-one went near the Crazies.

Luckily for Emerald, he had made it past the crowded alleyways of the streets without having been held up. He'd had to use a few threatening looks at various shady characters who occasionally followed him, hoping for scraps, but they had soon wandered off as soon as Emerald had apparently crossed an invisible line in which they would not pass. It took him around an hour, but he soon made it back, just as the first cracks of dawn reached above the sky. The pink and orange landscape opened up the darkness of the alleyways, and the dark denizens of the night disappeared once again into the shadows of their various hideouts.

Emerald had made it home.

--

Meanwhile, just at the moment that Emerald had made it back to the base, Tonks had been waiting patiently for an hour in the same position that she had been since she had lost Emerald. Finally, several pops sounded quickly in the small area that Tonks had been waiting for. Quickly looking around at the assembled people, she smiled happily at the sight of one particular person. With twinkling eyes, and a long white beard that reached down to his waist, Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest wizards of all time, stood in front of her.

'Ah, Tonks.' He said jovially, smiling at her. He reached into his pocket, 'lemon drop?'

Tonks smiled. Dumbledore would never change. She shook her head, 'no thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I'm on duty.'

'Come now, my dear Tonks. You haven't been at Hogwarts for several years now. I think that you may call me Albus if you wish. Hmm?' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled even more, if that was at all possible. He popped a lemon drop into his mouth, smiling in appreciation, before looking around the dark, damp alleyway with the same interest he would show to a King's palace.

'I say, rather dismal place that these Muggles live in.' A redheaded, middle-aged man said cheerfully, rubbing his hands together.

'Oh, I hardly think that Muggles live here, Arthur. Why, I believe this is just a –'

'If we've all finished talking about the wonders of Muggle architecture,' a cold, sarcastic voice said. 'Perhaps you should inform us of the reason you summoned some of us from important potions?'

'Yes, quite right Severus.' Dumbledore said, smiling at the tall man who looked down his hooked nose at him. 'I have brought all of you here today for a very important reason. This reason being, to capture and retrieve one Harry James Potter.'

He waited patiently for the gasps and murmurs of shock to die down. Arthur was rubbing his hands in delight, Tonks was talking to a tall black guy with a look of shock on her concern, and Severus simply stared at Dumbledore in shock. Finally, Albus raised his hands, and quiet almost instantly hit the alley.

'Headmaster,' Severus started. 'This boy, Potter...why has he not turned up before to Hogwarts when he was sent his owl? And are you sure that this is the Potter boy that we're all hoping it is?'

'Well,' Dumbledore started. 'Harry, as we all know, had run away from his relatives when he was no more than six years old. It was believed that he had died some time after that, for what child could survive the cruel nights? Apparently, Harry managed to do so, and so was brought up as a Muggle. As for why he didn't receive our letters...well, to that, I'm afraid that I have no idea. I know for a fact that the letters were sent out to him.'

'But if he was brought up as a Muggle, how does he know of our world?'

'In short, he doesn't.'

There was dead silence as the assembled wizards and witches took in Dumbledore's words.

'But...but if he doesn't even know of our world, let alone magic, why are we here, Dumbledore?'

'I'm afraid I cannot tell you, my boy, as this mission is of the utmost relevance to our world. All that I am willing to tell you is that Harry will play an important part in this war.'

Severus' eyes widened. 'You say this is a _capture _and retrieve mission? You intend to capture the boy when he has no idea of who we are, and of the war? Headmaster, I agree that every available wand for our side is of the utmost essential, but I can hardly see the relevance in capturing a boy who for all intents and purposes is nothing more than a _Muggle_. He may be a hero in our world, but here he is nothing. How can you possibly imagine a boy of 16 years old to suddenly be captured and sent into our world where he will be suddenly faced by crowds of well-wishers, fans and Death Eaters?'

'Severus, do you trust me?'

'Always, headmaster.'

'Then trust me on this when I tell you all that Harry carries a more important role than any of us will in this war. Now, I do believe that we have delayed the mission for long enough. Let us be off.' As the witches and wizards gathered themselves into a rough formation, Dumbledore couldn't help but think of the events that had led up to this mission.

_Flashback_

_Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were probably the most mundane, xenophobic and anti-magic people who you could ever meet. Dumbledore would probably be the first to admit this, however, despite various warnings from his people, he decided to put one of the most famous wizards of all time, Harry Potter, into the care of the Dursleys. When he was asked why he had put Harry with them, Dumbledore would always tell them the same thing. They were family, and family looked after family. Blood was thicker than water and Harry would be safe with them. Of course, the other reason that he omitted from telling people was the Blood Wards. There was very little known about Blood Wards, other than that they were only ever given through a sacrifice of what they most held dear. Lily Potter, one of the most wonderful pupil that Dumbledore ever had to teach, gave up her own life for her son._

_Blood Wards depended upon the love and affection of a direct family member. This love would keep the Blood Wards going on for as long as a direct family member continued to look after the property that the Blood Wards were placed on. Contrary to beliefs, Dumbledore, after occasional visits to the house to watch from outside what Harry was up to, had eventually stopped after Petunia Dursley had caught him and demanded that he instantly leave the property, or else she would get rid of Harry. Dumbledore had no wish to destroy any chance that Harry had at happiness with his relatives, so, he stopped._

_However, now, it was September 3__rd__, and Harry Potter had not come to Hogwarts on the first day of school. Of course, an instant panic had hit Wizarding England, and demands for Dumbledore to find Harry were coming from all corners of society. Many speculated that Dumbledore had hidden Harry for his own purposes, and the Ministry of Magic, who had long been denied the whereabouts of Harry Potter, threatened him with whatever power they had. And so it was, that Albus Dumbledore, accompanied by his two teachers, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall, had come to Privet Drive to find the reclusive Mr. Potter, and bring him to where he belonged, with them._

_Dumbledore knocked on the door of Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, before standing back to wait the door to be opened. A few seconds after he had knocked, the door opened and Petunia Dursley opened the door, a welcoming smile on her face that quickly turned to shock and anger. She attempted to slam the door in their face, only for it to be held open by a mysterious force._

'_Come now, Petunia.' Dumbledore said in a cheery voice. 'Let us not make a scene, shall we? We all know how much you respect your privacy, as do we all. However, unfortunately for us, we haven't come for a social visit, but to take our Mr. Potter with us.'_

_Petunia gave a half-manic laugh. 'You want the boy? Well good luck finding him! He ran off, didn't he? Thought himself too good for the likes of us! We tried to stop him, course we did. But he's one of you people...a FREAK!'_

_Feeling the force holding the door open slacken, Petunia took advantage of this, and managed to close the door in their faces. Dumbledore turned to his collegues in shock._

'_Headmaster, we must find the boy!' Professor McGonagall said, her voice tight with emotion._

'_Yes, a very obvious conclusion there, however, what I would really like to know myself is how long the boy has left the building?'_

'_Six years!' A voice cried from behind the door. Obviously, Petunia had never gotten over her habit of "overhearing" other people's private conversations. _

_Dumbledore sighed greatly, wiping his hands over his face. 'We must gather the Order and alert the wizarding world to a full-on search for Harry Potter. And we must pray that we get to him first, before unsavoury characters reach him before us.'_

_The three of them quickly apparated away from the doorstep of Privet Drive, hopefully, to never return._

_**Three years later**_

_Albus had been busy in his office, filling out some paperwork that would give him more leeway in the war against Tom. It stated that he would be allowed to raid any suspected Death Eaters without fear of being tied up in the courts or being investigated by the Aurors. All he had to do was convince a few people, or else he'd have to blacklist them. Of course, it was for the Greater Good of course._

_He jumped slightly when a face appeared in his fireplace._

'_Good heavens, Remus, what's the matter? Are the Weasley's in trouble?' He asked, his face full of concern. Never let it be said that he wouldn't take care of those of the Light Side._

_Remus was panting as though he'd run somewhere. 'Albus, we've found him.'_

_Albus face scrunched up in confusion. Was it that time of the month again for Remus? 'Remus, my dear boy, I'm afraid that I don't quite understand what you mean. Who are you talking about?'_

'_Harry!'_

_Albus' face turned pale with shock. 'Remus, can you prove this?'_

_Remus nodded. 'I'm a werewolf; my senses are higher than any normal human, even with the aid of magic. I assure you; I smelt the scent of Harry. He's here and he's alive.'_

_Albus immediately reacted. 'I want you to get yourself here as soon as possible. Inform Molly and Sirius that we may be expecting a very important guest who will be arriving at Grimmauld Place soon. Oh, and tell her that it's in the best interests of the Greater Good that she informs no-one of this. If we're wrong about this, then it could prove disastrous to the poor boy. Have Tonks follow him to whether he lives. We'll pick him up from there. Understood?'_

_Remus nodded. 'It will be done.'_

--

Jackson stood sentry at the flat. On the other side, his counterpart did the same. Their task was to protect the gang by watching out for any potential enemies. In frank, it was a boring job. Ever since the gang had been driven out, their once important role in gang-politics was now useless, and they played little part. No one really bothered them anymore, except to sometimes heckle individual members if found alone. Of course, that hardly ever happened as the gang had made sure that any gang members who weren't part of their gang were driven out of their particular area.

This night, only Emerald had been out, and he had returned five minutes ago. He fingered his favored gun, the Desert Eagle that he had purchased from an American from California, where it could only be bought. The gang had similar weapons, but nothing too destructive. The best weapon that they had belonged to Emerald himself, who had the earliest version of the M4 Carbine.

Suddenly, he saw movement. He gaped as he saw strangely dressed people seemingly appear from nowhere and start approaching the house. Swearing, he grabbed his radio and alerted his counterpart on the other side of the building.

Raising his weapon, he aimed at the leading member of the approaching people. He aimed, cocked and fired.

BANG!

The man immediately dropped with a bullet in his body. The people froze, giving Jackson another chance to fire another bullet at another person. It didn't work, as an odd looking force-field that could've come from Star Trek surrounded the person. At that, all hell broke out.

--

Emerald had just lain down to sleep, when a shot broke out, followed five seconds later by another shot, apparently by the same pistol. Swearing, he leapt onto the floor and picked his bed up, throwing it to the side. Underneath was a loose floorboard that he literally ripped up by the nails. Underneath that floorboard was his pride and joy, a M4 Carbine, semi-automatic. Grabbing a spare hand pistol and a knife, he shoved them into his pockets, grabbed his M4 Carbine and ran down to the make-shift barricade that they had constructed a long time ago just in case.

As he approached, he saw most of the gang already there, firing bullets at the invaders, and in return strange balls of light were being thrown back, and odd sounds came from the area of the invaders.

'_Stupefy!'_

The balls of red light, whenever they hit one of the gang members, they fell to the ground, whether they were dead or unconscious, however, Emerald didn't know. As he reached the barricade and took cover behind it, he saw Shell firing her favored weapon, a Baby Eagle that had come all the way from Israel itself.

She grinned when she saw the weapon that Emerald carried and shouted to him over the noise. 'It's about time you got here, Emerald. Those bastards seem to have something protecting them from our bullets unless you fire at a particular area a lot! They don't seem to be fighting to kill, as we haven't had any casualties except for them being unconscious.'

Emerald nodded. 'How many are there?'

Shell shrugged. 'There seem to be at least ten of them. We've taken down four of them, but there're more appearing from over there.' She pointed towards the alleyway where more strangely dressed people were appearing from nowhere. Emerald dismissed that last thought when he suddenly realized that they were all carrying the strange sticks, a stick that he carried himself!

Shell whacked him over the head. 'Stop thinking and start shooting, you idiot!'

Emerald nodded, and aimed at one particular person with a blueish shield around him. Opening fire, within a few seconds, at least twenty bullets hit one area of a shield, causing part of it to collapse and hit the man inside of the shield. As he fell, the shield faded away quickly.

Suddenly, a massive wave of red balls hit the barricade, causing most of it to collapse and left the gang members in the open. Emerald reacted immediately to this by grabbing Shell by the arm and throwing himself and her into part of a barricade that hadn't collapsed. The next wave of red balls hit the barricade again just one second after Emerald and Shell had taken cover. The rest of the gang members there weren't so lucky. Nearly all of them were hit by the red balls, causing those hit to collapse.

Only Emerald, Shell, Rick (who had just turned up) and another two gang members managed to escape the balls. Emerald turned to Shell, his face deadly serious. 'Shell,' he started. 'If I don't make it out, and you do, I want you to know that all the money I have is underneath a floorboard in my room underneath my bed. There's probably around several thousand pounds there. Take it, and get the hell away from this shitty life. You deserve better than this.'

Shell stared at him, her expression unreadable. Around them, the sharp cracking of gunfire from the remaining gang members continued to fire, and the hissing of the spells whenever they missed their target kept going. Shell continued to look in his eyes. Suddenly, she leant forward, kissing him softly on the lips. Emerald reacted as he always would in a situation like this, and kissed her back. After a minute, and a red ball and just hit above their heads, Shell and Emerald drew away. Emerald looked at her with a questioning look on her face.

Shell shrugged. 'I was always curious really.' She patted his cheek. 'It was very nice; you just keep on practicing though.'

Emerald rolled his eyes, and as he took a look around, he saw the two gang members had fallen, and Rick was on his own, hiding behind an ever-smaller barricade. Seeing Emerald's look, he winked and held up his thumb in congratulations with him and Shell. Emerald rolled his eyes, only Rick would be so laid back as to do something like that at a time like this!

Suddenly, Rick fell, his body hit by a red ball. Emerald swore as he realized that only he and Shell were still up and fighting. Shell frowned as she reloaded her weapon; she knew that the odds were without doubt against them.

But no balls came. Instead, a voice came from the area of the strange people.

'Harry James Potter!'

--

It had not been a good battle for Albus Dumbledore. At least six of the Order members had fallen to the strange Muggle guns. Apparently their shields didn't do well against them. Still, his shield had held, and eventually they had subdued the children. But at a high price. Hopefully, though, it would be worth it.

'Harry James Potter!' Dumbledore called out.

'Who?' A clearly confused voice came from the side of the barricade. The Order shuffled in confusion, they hadn't been told that Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, was amongst them! If he was there, then this would prove to be a turning point in the war! Albus was also confused, what did they mean, who was he?

Remus stepped in at this point. Casting a apologetic look at Dumbledore, he called out a name. 'Emerald?'

'Yeah, what the hell do you want, coming to our area and attacking us like this?'

Snape snapped at the voice. 'Attacking you? Muggles? Who are unworthy of our attention? Why you insufferable brat!'

The only reply he got from that was a bullet that smacked just to the left of him, causing him to jump.

'Damn, missed the greasy bastard.' A clearly female voice said from the barricades.

They heard a chuckle. 'Unlucky shot Shell, maybe next time though. Now, anyway, what the hell are you? You and those strange sticks? And you can go invisible as well!'

Dumbledore smiled inwardly, he always used to love doing this bit when he used to teach at Hogwarts as a professor.

'Mr. Potter, you are a wizard.'

Silence met the statement, before two derisive laughs broke out.

'What the hell are you on? Cause I'm going to want some of that later! And who the hell is this Harry Potter you keep twittering on about you old fool?'

Gasps were heard from the Order, who never before in their life had heard anyone insult the great Albus Dumbledore. Severus prepared to rant some more, before thinking better of it.

'Mr. – Emerald was it?'

'Yes…but we don't have anyone here of that name, you idiot!'

More gasps from the Order. Dumbledore simply smiled good-naturedly.

'No, you're Harry Potter, my boy.'

A brief silence, before, 'No I'm not.

'Yes you are.'

'No I'm not.'

'I assure you, you are.

'No I'm not.'

'Mr. Potter, please stop this –'

'No I'm not.'

Albus sighed, rubbing his face with his wandless hand. They would have to do some explaining when they arrived at the Burrow. He gestured to the hidden Order member who had crept up on Harry from behind. The person grabbed Harry and portkeyed out. At the scream of shock and disbelief from the female who was with Harry, Dumbledore and the remaining Order members quickly grabbed their fallen comrades and disapparated from the area before any remaining gang members made it past the wards that Albus had constructed.

After all, it was for the Greater Good, reasoned Albus.


	7. Explanations and attack

**Explanations and attack**

Rick Alsop, member of the Order of the Phoenix, apparated away from the fire-fight holding onto his arm wincing as he did so. Merlin, but those bloody Muggle weapons hurt like hell! Normally, he would be leaving for St. Mungos, although whether they'd be familiar with Muggle wounds was a question that begged answering. But tonight, he wouldn't be going to the hospital straight away. For you see, he had more than just one leader. Albus Dumbledore was a great man; there was no doubt about that. However, in a war like this, Dumbledore had no chance of winning the war. Times had changed since the end of the war with Grindlewald. They had only barely won the last war, and it was only because of a damned infant that they had won! However, times had changed. The Dark Lord had returned from the dead thanks to the loyalty of his most devoted servants, and it would be through them that he would rule. Normally, Rick would've been with his Death Eater brothers, yet, his master wanted a spy in the Order of the Phoenix, and so he got his spy in the Order in the Phoenix. Hopefully, his Lord would give to Alsop great riches and power that he would use for (as Dumbledore would say) the Greater Good. Of course, the Greater Good in reality would translate to becoming the Greater Good of Rick Alsop of course.

Just as Dumbledore and the other Order members had apparated away, Alsop had left behind a magical trace of himself. It wouldn't get the suspicions of Dumbledore up, there was little chance of that, but it would serve as a point to which Alsop could apparate to in case his master demanded it. He quickly appeared in front of a manor, straightening himself up as he took into view the manor. He smirked at the large house at the end of a large driveway. Statues dotted the landscape in images of ferocious animals. Snakes, Dementors, sharks and of course, the symbol of the Malfoys, the skeleton, all appeared to watch Alsop as he made the long march up the driveway to the base of the Dark Lord.

At the door, he was met by two Death Eaters on guard, who regarded Alsop, who still wore a blood-soaked Order symbol on his right breast above his heart, with disgust. Alsop sneered back at the two of them, before he passed the two Death Eaters, pausing quickly to spit at the feet of one of them. He quickly hurried on then, listening to the guard's cries of disgust and vows of revenge. Alsop simply chuckled darkly. No Death Eater would dare to touch one of the only two spies in the Order of the Phoenix. And even then, Alsop reckoned that he was regarded with more trust than Snape was. Who knows what side he was on? He may profess to be on the side of the Dark Lord, but he could still be on the side of the Phoenix. Hell, he mightn't even be on anyone's side other than his own!

After passing through several luxurious rooms and corridors, Alsop finally made it up to the room that was often referred to as "the throne room". This was the area in which the Dark Lord resided in with his Inner Circle of Death Eaters. Plots and plans were made daily here, and the future of the wizarding world would be decided in this very room. As Alsop walked along the corridor that led directly to the throne room, he was suddenly halted by one of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle, Bellatrix Lestrange.

'Well, well,' she jeered, invading his personal space. 'Has our resident spy returned from the old fool's little club then?'

'Hello, Mrs. Lestrange.' He said uncomfortably, backing up slightly.

Unfortunately for him, Bellatrix noticed. 'Aw, is itty Ally scared of the big girl?' She giggled maniacally.

'No, Mrs. Lestrange. As riveting as this conversation is, however, I have news for the Dark Lord.'

Suddenly, Bellatrix's face changed from mocking to pure rage. Her hands almost a blur, Alsop almost screamed in pain as he felt her finger pressing hard into the bullet wound. 'Is itty Ally in pain?' She hissed. 'Should I let you go? Maybe I should kill you now. You're infected, contaminated. You're nothing more than a Mudblood-lover, aren't you?' She pressed harder, forcing Alsop onto his knees.

'No, I beg of you, I am loyal to the Dark Lord!'

Suddenly, the pain stopped, and Bellatrix stood over his body. 'And don't forget it.' She hissed, before stalking off.

Alsop grunted as he pulled himself off of the ground, glaring at Bellatrix's disappearing back. 'Crazy bitch,' he spat, getting off of the ground and stumbled his way to the throne room, clutching his shoulder. The Dark Lord wouldn't accept excuses off of any person. If they were late, then it was because of their own fault, and no one else's. He was just lucky that Bellatrix had let him go this early; otherwise he'd be facing a _crucio _off of the Dark Lord.

Stopping before a large double door, the absence of the usual two guards outside of the room made him gulp slightly. It appeared that the Dark Lord was busy already with some of his inner circle, and had no desire for their plans to be heard. But even so, the news that Alsop was bringing to the table was surely more important than what was going on in there. Standing up straight and ignoring his bleeding shoulder, he knocked twice and then stood back, as though he was back in school and was waiting outside of the Headmaster's office. There were a few minutes of silence, during which the pain in his shoulder became agonisingly painful, before a drawling voice called out, 'you may enter.'

Alsop opened the door with his arm, striding in towards a large chair in front of a table where various maps and documents were folding up and disappearing right before Alsop's eyes. He quickly knelt as the attention of the Dark Lord left Lucius Malfoy, who was regarding Alsop with a slight sneer on his face, and turned to Alsop.

'Why, Lucius, I do believe that our honoured spy has come back from his duties. Tell me, Alsop, what news do you bring that you deem to be extremely important enough to interrupt me and Lucius as we were busy planning raids? Because if it isn't important, then it won't just be me who will be dealing out punishment to you, I assure you.'

Lucius smiled, his eyes staring directly at Alsop, as he murmured, 'It would be a immense pleasure, my Lord, I can assure you.'

Alsop remained on his knees and kept his eyes to the ground. 'My Lord is too generous,' he murmured. 'However, the news that I bring to you is of the utmost importance, so I believe.'

'And so what news do you bring then, Alsop?' Voldemort asked, getting up from the chair and circling Alsop's kneeling body. 'What has the old man done now in an attempt to stop me?'

Alsop remained low as Voldemort stalked around him, as though he was nothing more than a rabbit being hunted by a lion, no, not like a lion, but more like a snake. 'My Lord, Dumbledore has found what he determines to be a weapon. He has found the person who we all believed to be dead. My Lord, he has found _Harry Potter_.' He winced, expecting a blow.

'What?!' Voldemort screamed in anger, 'what do you mean, he has been found?' Voldemort had stopped his prowling, and had directly stood in front of Alsop, grabbing him by the throat and holding him in the air, his slanted snake-like eyes staring with hatred into his. 'Harry Potter is dead, so I was assured by my most _loyal _followers.

'They were mistaken!' Alsop choked. 'He had survived running away, my Lord. He fled into London, where he appeared to take up with a group of people, who refer to themselves as "gangs". Dumbledore had somehow found out about the boy being still alive, and took a group of us to retrieve him.'

'Gah!' Voldemort yelled as he turned his back on Alsop. 'Tell me, what powers does the boy have?'

Alsop only just managed to control the impulse to raise his eyebrows. 'p – powers, Lord?'

'_Crucio_!'

Alsop screamed as he was racked with an unimaginable pain, that he could never truly describe to anyone. Finally, after what appeared to have been hours under the curse, Voldemort stopped. 'When I ask you a question, Alsop, not only do I demand it to be answered immediately, but I want it in detail with nothing left out, no matter how insignificant it may appear. I will have everything. Do you understand me?'

'Yes Lord,' Alsop choked out, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

'Well then, tell me everything you know.'

'My Lord, after the Wizarding world was informed of the Potter boy's flight from his relatives, the whole of England was scoured for any signs of the boy. None, however, were found, and gradually, despite calls from people such as Dumbledore to keep searching for the boy, it was generally accepted that Potter must have died. However, tonight, he was found. Dumbledore, after locating the boy, took me and several other Order members to a part of London that, for the lack of a better term, was a slum. The Potter boy appears to have lived there for a long time, and therefore lived in poverty. We found him in a Muggle flat, where he and various others like him resided. When we approached their area, we were suddenly engaged in a fight between them. They had Muggle weapons, we had wands. My Lord, you know that I have always believed Muggle weapons to be superior to ours. However, the Order took quite a lot of casualties. Out of the ten people sent, Dumbledore included, six of them were hit by the Muggle weapons, and I believe that two of them died.'

Voldemort looked at Alsop, his mind working furiously. 'The Order members, were they professionals?'

'No Lord, but –'

'Then it is not surprising that some died. They clearly did not know how to handle Muggle filth. Continue.'

'Yes my Lord. We then, after five minutes of fighting, had stunned the Muggle scum. One of the Order members crept behind Potter and managed to capture him using a Portkey. That was when we all apparated out of there.'

'Has the Potter boy shown any kind of powers?'

'During that entire fight, my Lord, we only ever saw him use his weapon. However, we were told beforehand by Dumbledore that the boy, in fact, has never experienced magic before.'

'What?' Voldemort said incredulously. 'Are you telling me that the very boy that Dumbledore has spent most of his life proclaiming that he will be the hope of the Wizarding World doesn't even know a spell that a first year would?'

'Yes my Lord.'

'Does the old man really believe that it'll be love that defeats me? Me? The single greatest wizard of all time? I knew he was a fool, but I didn't realise that he was crazy as well.' Voldemort shook his head in disgust, before he turned back to the table, waving his wand and causing various maps of London to appear.

'Where were you sent?'

Alsop looked over the maps for a few seconds, before he jabbed his finger down on a particular part of London. 'We were sent here, Lord.' His voice had no hesitation in it, for to show any would result in punishment. Voldemort waved his wand again, causing for the area which Alsop indicated to appear to maximum view. A huge detailed area of the area showed, with blue and red dots appearing over it. Voldemort appeared shocked for a while, before he chuckled darkly.

'Why, my dear Lucius,' he addressed Lucius, who had been lurking in the corner of the room. 'I do believe that fortune has favoured us once again.

'My Lord?'

'It just so happens, that that area is infested with our very own inferius squad.'

Lucius suddenly started chuckling darkly, while Voldemort smiled. He turned back to Alsop.

'Tell me, Alsop, what do you know of the inferi?' Without waiting for an answer, he continued talking. 'An inferi is essentially a dead body given limited intelligence. They are amongst the most useful weapons that I used in the last war, and served me well. They are utterly loyal to their master and are almost invincible. And it just so happens that the area where you pointed out Potter's area of residence is a major area where we kept our inferi.' He chuckled darkly, his hands rubbing together slowly.

'Let's give our Mr Potter a welcome to the wizarding world, shall we? We shall rid him of his old life, so that he may live his new life here without any distractions.' A cold smile spread across his face, as Lucius' laugh echoed through the room.

-------------------

He collapsed onto a wooden floor, curled up instinctively to protect himself from any kicks or punches while he was on the ground. A second later as he realised that he wasn't surrounded, he kicked out and rolled to the back of the room. Seeing people start to appear from nowhere, he searched the room, hoping to find something that he could use for cover. He grinned as he saw a massive table just standing there in front of him. Perfect.

He grabbed it by the side and with a huge burst of adrenalin, lifted it above his head and threw it against the wall onto its side, creating a make-shift barricade. He grinned as he leapt behind it and grabbed out of his pocket the hand pistol that he had put in there earlier. Raising his pistol, he saw in front of him several people.

A long white-bearded man was the first he noticed. His eyes were twinkling, and he looked like someone who you should trust, like it or not. Next to him was a greasy-haired guy whose hair looked as though it hadn't been washed in ages. His eyes were filled with contempt at the sight of Emerald. To the other side of the long-bearded man was a tired looking man, with an air of mustiness and exhaustion around him. His face was pale, but he looked at Emerald in wonderment. To the side of the room was another two people. One of them was a man, whose face spoke of hard times. He was skinny and didn't show much muscle, but like the tired looking man, he also looked at Emerald in astonishment. The other woman was a dumpy looking woman, who had red hair, and looked as though she might've been once pretty at an earlier stage in her life.

As he aimed the pistol up, the three men who stood together raised their strange sticks at Emerald. A standoff.

'Harry, put down that Muggle contraption.' The white-bearded man said, warning in his voice.

Emerald sneered, 'Look, I don't know who you are, I don't know how I got here, but I'll tell you two things right now. My name isn't Harry Potter, but Emerald. And I'm warning you now, you had better get out of my way and let me go, or else I'll pop one in that fat bitch over there.' He aimed the gun at the redhead, who bristled.

'How dare you!' Her voice started to rise in pitch. 'How dare you speak that way to the Headmaster and point whatever that, that thing is at me!' Her voice was very high now, reaching shrieking point now, Emerald's ears started to hurt. As she was just about to go off into a rant, Emerald aimed the gun at a plant pot in the corner of the room, and fired one bullet. The plant pot exploded into tiny pieces, and cut off the redhead in her rants, and caused everyone to aim cast protective shields over themselves and the redheaded woman.

Everyone froze and just stared at Emerald in shock. They'd seen the power of the Muggle weapons for themselves, they'd had to send off three Order members that had pieces of the Muggle weapons in them, but they hadn't really accepted it. Dumbledore's head was in a spin. If this was Harry James Potter, then it appeared that he had his work cut out for him. He would try the grandfatherly touch on the poor boy, maybe then he would be open for Dumbledore's help before he left for Hogwarts. Even if he didn't, he would still be going, but it would be so much more easier in the long run if Harry cooperated with him.

'Harry, my boy –'

'Oh for fuck's sake, old man! First of all, I'm not Harry Potter! And even if I was, I don't think you realise just how much it would piss me off if you said that. My name is Emerald! And will you fucking let me pass you, or do I have to kill that woman?'

At Emerald's last sentence, all the men, apart from the greasy haired guy moved closer towards the redhead. Emerald sneered at their actions. 'Take another step, and I will shoot her. Do you understand?'

All the men stopped, knowing that after the events of tonight, they could risk nothing. Already the Order of the Phoenix had taken its casualties, and to add insult to injury, it hadn't even been caused by Death Eaters, but Muggles! It was exactly these kinds of casualties that Dumbledore never risked whenever he sent the Order on their missions.

'Alright, Emerald' Dumbledore said hesitating. 'Just put down that, that thing, and we can have a nice talk.'

Emerald spat. 'That's a load of bollocks. Here's what we'll do, you can first drop those sticks of yours onto the ground.' At a look from Albus, everyone did so, but hesitantly. Emerald nodded his approval. 'Good, you freaks are learning. Now, kick your sticks over this way.' Again, with another look from Albus, they did so. 'Alright, everyone into the corner, nice and slowly.' As they backed away into a corner of the room, Emerald slowly came out of his make-shift barricade, still aiming his gun at the group of people.

He kept his eye on the group as he opened the door, and suddenly ran!

There were loads of corridors in front of him, Emerald picked one at random and just ran as fast as he could, not bothering to check out corners for any potential enemies. He could hear them behind him, he was sure of it. He didn't know what they were or what they wanted, but Emerald refused to be part of their little game. He had to get out of here, back to London and back to Shell. He needed them as much as they needed him. Whatever those people were going on about, him being called Harry Potter, well, he admitted that that could be the case, but even so, whatever life this Harry Potter had led, he had left it behind. Even at night, he still had nightmares about the abuse he'd been put through by the Dursleys.

Suddenly, as he ran along another corridor, he saw two identical redheads walking down the corridor before him. Upon seeing him, the pair halted and looked at each other incredulously. Emerald smirked as he lowered his shoulder to go in front of him, as he rammed into the pair of them at full speed. The two twins landed into the wall, while Emerald took no pain at all. He smirked, that was too easy.

As he turned yet another corner, a group of three teenagers were in front of him. Two redheads who were obviously brother and sister, and a brown-haired girl who froze as they saw him, they had obviously heard the shouts from behind him. Emerald growled as he realised that he wouldn't be able to hit them at full speed, and at least one of them would remain standing. There was only one thing that he could do. Emerald raised the gun, holding it in front of him and prepared to fire.

The brown-haired girl screamed at the sight of the gun, and dragged the two redheads, both of them kicking and yelling all the way, into another corridor. Obviously the brown haired girl knew about his gun and what it did.

He ran as fast as he could through the corridors, running down steps at every chance he got. He was sure that the strange people chasing him were just a few corridors behind him now. He was at a severe disadvantage. He couldn't utilise his complete speed due to the narrow and often short corridors, he didn't know where he was or where the door was to escape, in short, he was screwed if he didn't get out.

As he ran down yet another step of stairs, he finally realised that this had to be the last floor in which he could get out of. Running out of the staircase, he saw a last door and windows that showed the outside world. That had to be it! He ran for the door, faster, and faster. He reached out for the door handle, he –

BANG!

The door opened from the outside and whacked right into Emerald's face. As his consciousness faded and a pink-spike-haired girl who was in her twenties and looked incredibly shocked, bent over him giving a nice view of cleavage, there was only one word that went through his mind.

_Shit…_

---

Emerald groggily woke up as he felt a soft bed underneath him. He purposely kept his eyes closed and his face expressionless. It hadn't been the first time that he'd woken up in a position like this, and he'd trained himself for a long time every morning after waking up to keep himself in a half-sleep mode, which would give him the advantage of surprise. An enemy taken by surprise was already half defeated, after all.

He listened to the conversations of the people assembled in the room, hovering around him.

'But Albus,' the redheaded dumpy woman's voice said above him. 'You can't seriously be considering keeping him here. He's dangerous! He threatened me, for Merlin's sake!'

'Alas, Molly, we cannot let him go now. He is the hope of the entire Wizarding World, not just a pet project I'm conducting.'

'The hope of the entire Wizarding world?' A male voice asked. 'Albus, why whatever do you mean?'

'In good time, my dear Remus, in good time.'

Emerald sensed someone bend over him.

'So this is my godson then.' Another voice said. Emerald's mind boggled at that, but his expression still remained the same.

'Yes, Sirius. That would be our godson.' Remus' voice said.

'Hmm, he doesn't look anything like James, really. But his eyes, they're Lily's eyes.'

A round of agreements followed that statement.

'So then, Albus, what are your plans for Harry?'

'Well, obviously I'd have to sit him down and explain to him who and what he is to us in the Wizarding World. He'd also have to come to Hogwarts for his magical education. It's too dangerous for him out there in the streets; we did a great service to the poor boy when we collected him.'

Emerald felt anger start to build up in him. These freaks, wizards, grabbed him from where he was happy for some obtuse reason! They thought they were doing him a fucking favour? Those dicks! He felt his mask start to break, and he quickly collected himself, hoping that no one noticed. He was in luck, no-one did.

'Hogwarts, but Albus, the boy is feral! We don't know where he's been, what he's been doing, I doubt the boy can even read! And you to send him to Hogwarts? He'll corrupt half the children there within the first week, knowing him. He's the son of James Potter!' The voice held a distinctive hint of pride at the last sentence.

'And that just makes it even more imperative that we help the boy. Do you really think that James and Lily would've wanted their son to turn out like this? No, they would've wanted him to grow up respectable and happy, like every other child should. He would've had that as well, had he not run away from the Dursleys.'

Emerald was really pissed off now. Run away from the goddamn Dursleys? They had fucking abandoned him, thrown him into the boot of a car where he could hardly breathe, and thrown him god knows where!

Suddenly, he heard the door open and an aggravated male voice entered the room. 'What are you doing, Professor Dumbledore, in allowing something like him stay in the house? Look at him, he's, he's a Muggle!'

'No, Mr. Weasley, he's not a Muggle, although he was brought up like one.'

A small silence fell after that, before the voice spoke again. 'Is that why he's so dirty and skanky?'

A small wave of laughter broke out after his sentence. 'No, no, Mr. Weasley, he was just brought up in a terrible environment. His name, which I think that you ought to know, is Harry James Potter.'

The voice gasped, 'That's Harry Potter? The boy-who-lived?'

'Yes, Ron, and don't call him by his title, he's just a boy, even if he is Muggle-raised.' She said the last word scathingly.

'Sorry Mum. But surely that can't be Harry Potter? He looks nothing like him?'

'And how would you know what he looks like, Ron?'

'Well,' Ron hesitated. 'Uh, well, there're loads of pictures of him, aren't there. And the stories that we always hear about him looking like his father, James Potter. I've seen pictures of him, and he looks nothing alike. I mean, look at that tattoo for Merlin's sake, it's a snake!'

'Ronald! Don't swear!'

'Yes mum, sorry mum. But you have to admit; he looks nothing like a hero who defeated he-who-must-not-be-named! Looks more like a Slytherin to me.' Ron spat out the unfamiliar word.

'Yes, I do have to admit, Ronald, the tattoo is worrying.' Albus said.

'Perhaps we should have it taken off?' Molly said. 'I mean, it's hardly fitting for a Gryffindor, we'd be doing him a favour.'

'Yes, yes I do see your point Molly. Perhaps I should have it removed.'

Emerald heard something being drawn. His mind leapt to the conclusion that it was that stick. Maybe, if they were wizards, those sticks were actually wands?! He had to act, fast if he wanted to keep his last reminder of his past life. No doubt these people would've removed his gun and knife from his pockets, and any other items that while they would've dismissed as rubbish, had a special memory for him.

'But what if he doesn't go into Gryffindor, Albus?'

'That's our job, Remus. I would like Mr. Weasley here, Miss Weasley and Miss Granger to befriend our Mr. Potter here, and ensure that he's influenced towards the light. He needs to go into Gryffindor if he's to learn the correct ways of our world.'

There was another round of agreements with Albus's statement.

'But Professor, isn't he, well, you know, dangerous? Couldn't he threaten me and the girls?

'Nonsense Mr. Weasley. He has no wand, while the three of you have yours. We removed his Muggle weapons from him, and I'm perfectly sure that you can subdue him should he turn violent.'

'Yes, but Albus, I don't think that Harry needs to rely on his Muggle weapons. In fact, from the looks of him, I think that he is a weapon. Have you seen those muscles of his?' There was a slight envious undertone to the man's words. 'He must have worked really hard to achieve those.'

'He may have _some _muscles, Sirius, but he's far too thin for a child of his age. Once he's fully recovered, I'm sure that I can fatten him up a bit.'

'A very good idea, Molly. And now, I shall remove that awful tattoo from him.' He heard the man take a deep breath, and Emerald immediately decided that this was a good time to conveniently wake up, or escape. Either one worked for him.

Emerald opened his eyes and saw the long-bearded man standing over him holding his _wand _in his hand. He put a look of surprise on his face that was perfectly mirrored by the man and the people standing around him. Emerald instantly reacted, lashing out with his feet which connected with who he assumed to be Sirius and Remus, both of whom collapsed against the wall. He leapt past Albus and ran towards the door. He attempted to open it, but it refused to open. Swearing, he turned to face his opponents, his body in a fighting position.

However, none of the assembled people in the room were going towards him, instead, they held back at a distance, their wands in their hands. All but Albus had a worried look on their faces, and Remus and Sirius had a rueful look on their faces as they realized what had just happened to them.

'Harry –' Albus started.

'Emerald.' He corrected Albus. He wasn't allowing him to get the first punch in.

Albus sighed. 'Alright, Emerald, there's little point in trying to escape. The door is specifically locked against your magical aura, so it won't let you go I'm afraid.'

Emerald spat on the floor. Behind his back, he felt for the doorknob and tried to open it. It was no good. He sighed as he gave it up for a bad job. 'Fine, what do you people want with me?'

Albus smiled. 'We're going to help you, Har- Emerald.'

He laughed incredulously. 'Help me? You want to help me?'

'Yes.'

'So your definition of "help" is to follow me in the early hours of the morning, attack me and my friends, insult me, threaten me, remove treasured items from my unconscious body, try and change my physical appearance and then you want to turn me into a whole other person who doesn't exist? I've told you before, I'm, not, Harry, Potter! My name is Emerald!'

He saw Albus smile at him with pity, his eyes twinkling as he opened his mouth to say something. Emerald snapped completely. 'Don't you dare even try and make me feel guilty over something I've not done. Harry Potter, if he ever existed, is dead.'

If I ever was him, he died when he was thrown into the boot of a car and left there for four hours with half the amount of oxygen I needed. He died when he was punched by his uncle. He died when he attempted to tell someone, and was instead beaten by his uncle for it. He died when he was thrown into a cupboard when he was three, and he finally died happily when he realized that someone was willing to protect him at long last.'

'You, Albus Dumbledore, you dare claim that I ran away from a "loving", a "caring" home where I could've been happy? Shall I tell you what happened to that boy, Dumbledore? That boy who you dream about being a hero? He died, and if the boy who was with the Dursley's ever was Harry Potter, then he gave way to me, Emerald. I still dream of the constant attacks, the mental scaring, the sheer hatred I received from the Dursleys. I was a dog, Dumbledore, to them. A mistreated dog!'

An oppressing silence occurred as everyone in the room took in what they had just heard. Dumbledore looked completely shocked along with everyone else. Finally, it was Sirius who turned to Dumbledore.

'You,' he started with sheer anger in his voice. 'You condemned my godson, James and Lily's son, to that? You told me that they were safe with them, Albus. You told Remus that it wasn't in the best interests for Harry to live with him, for fear of being attacked. You failed, Albus. And you failed badly. You told us all that you would check up on Harry every week. Did you even go, Dumbledore? Or even worst, did you care?'

Albus just stood there, shocked to his core. 'I, I'm sorry Emerald. I just missed one week because of the Minister needing advice, and the next week I had to go do an important job, and I, I eventually just gave up. I kept forgetting to check on you.'

Emerald sneered at him. 'I don't want to hear it, Dumbledore. Just take me back. I have little interest in becoming a wizard.'

Albus shook his head, still remorseful. 'I'm sorry, my dear boy, but I can't. I can't tell you what exactly you're needed for, but your presence is important to the wizarding world.'

'For what? For a title that I was given? The-boy-who-lived? What does that even mean exactly? I know I'm alive, because I'm standing right here, talking to you now. Unwilling, I grant you, but I'm still here.'

'Like I said, Emerald,' Dumbledore was still plainly unwilling to use Emerald's name. 'I cannot tell you yet what you are needed for, but partly, yes, for the title.'

'Well why then? Go on, tell. What was so important that you had to kidnap me from everything I knew?'

Dumbledore sighed as a solemn mood hit the people in the room.

'It's a long story, Harry,' he ignored Emerald's objection. 'It all started on October 31st, 1981. You, with your parents, were in hiding at that time. It was at that time that a war in the wizarding world was going on. Lord Voldemort was trying to take over, while I, amongst other groups, was fighting against him.'

'Your parents were both responsible for several defeats of Lord Voldemort, and he tried to kill them. Thanks to a traitor amongst our ranks, however, he found them. He attacked that night. From what we know, he first killed your father, James, and then your mother, Lily. When Lily died, she invoked an ancient magic which gave you a shield against Lord Voldemort. He tried to kill you, but failed for some reason. He vanished into the wilderness, and we didn't see him again for a long time. His forces were captured and incarcerated, and that was the end of it, or so we thought.'

'Because you were the one who managed to banish Lord Voldemort, you achieved great fame in the wizarding world. Every child was raised hearing about how you defeated him. It was for that reason that I placed you with the Dursleys, so you wouldn't be corrupted by that fame, and turn out badly. I've known many people who became twisted because of fame, but it would've been all the more terrible had you gone down the same path as a mere child. Alas, I believed you were safe.'

'What followed was ten years of peace. Unfortunately, Voldemort wasn't gone. He possessed the body of one of my teachers, Quirinus Quirrell. Earlier that year, there was a special stone, the Philosopher's Stone. The possession of it would give its owner the necessary ingredient to create the Elixir of Life, which would turn any metal into gold, and would extend the life of it's creator by many, many years. Its owner, Nicolas Flamel, came to me and asked me to look after it, as he feared that some amongst the Goblins were working independently and could steal the Stone. I agreed to look after it in Hogwarts. I don't know how, but Lord Voldemort found out, and using Quirrell, he stole the stone and escaped. He created the Elixir of Life and brought himself back. Of course, I highly doubt he uses the stone anymore and has found some other way of remaining alive.'

'Lord Voldemort is back, Harry, and he has gathered his followers once again. The group you see before you,' he gestured to most of the people in the room. 'Are part of a group, the Order of the Phoenix, which I lead against Lord Voldemort. Sadly, we haven't had much impact against his forces, neither has the Ministry of Magic. Morale in the country is dire. This is where you come in, Harry. The reemergence of Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived will boost morale in the wizarding world, and may hopefully assist the Order in our goals to defeat Lord Voldemort.' He finally stopped, smiling at Emerald. 'So you see, my dear boy, this is why we need you.'

Emerald stared at them all in shock, before he burst out laughing. 'Oh, my god. Pathetic! Have you listened to yourselves? First of all, Lord _Voldemort_? What the hell kind of name is that? And why the hell have you all been flinching every time someone says that? Christ, it's a bloody name! And Dumbledore, I have little pleasure in becoming your propaganda tool for the masses. I have led my life independent of all others. My life does not belong to the wizarding world, or to your Order, or even you. In fact, who the hell are you anyway?'

'I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Warlock of-'

Emerald interrupted him. 'You're a headmaster?'

Dumbledore halted. 'Well, yes.'

'What is the primary function of a Headmaster?'

'Well, well it's…well, a headmaster makes all major decisions concerning the school. But I really don't see what this has to do with-'

'Exactly! The School! Not me. In fact, what business do you even have in the war? A headmaster is meant to help in school, not to kidnap people and lead groups. Your primary purpose is to help children! So where the hell do you get off in doing this?'

'Well…I…' Dumbledore hesitated, before thinking of a response. 'Well, Mr. Potter. Your name has been on Hogwarts' list of students ever since you were born. Therefore, as Headmaster, I have ever right in bringing you to Hogwarts.'

Emerald shrugged. 'Then I have no wish to go to Hogwarts.'

Dumbledore laughed incredulously. 'My boy, Hogwarts is the greatest wizard school in the world. Nowhere can compare to it. Besides, I have a responsibility to your parents to ensure that you get a decent education.'

'Well, even _if _I wanted to become a wizard, it would be my choice to which school I wanted to go to. And you've just admitted that Hogwarts isn't the only school in the world. Therefore, if I'm going to be forced into this, I want to know all about the other schools before I make my choice. And that includes interviews and tours.'

Dumbledore was completely dumbstruck. 'Mr. Potter, while that would normally be the case, this isn't the case for you. Firstly, there's a war going on, so all borders between us and other countries is closed. Therefore, even if we wanted to, you couldn't go to another school. Secondly, you would need the permission from the Ministry of Magic, and once they find out about you, then believe me, they will not let you go. And finally, you are far too old. No school would accept you at this stage of your life.'

'Oh…' Emerald couldn't think of any other reasons. 'Well fuck your school, fuck your titles and fuck your little Order.'

'I'm sorry; Mr. Potter, but you will have no choice in this. No matter what reasons you give to me now, it will not matter. You will be coming to Hogwarts, and Hogwarts will welcome you with open arms. Like it or not, Mr. Potter, you will be attending school.' Dumbledore's face showed a sign of amusement, along with everyone else's face apart from Molly.

'Well, I'm not a wizard though; I've never shown any ability of that kind!'

'Really Harry?' Dumbledore said with a small smile at the edge of his lips. 'Can you honestly say that nothing strange has ever happened to you that no one else can do?'

'Of course no-' Emerald's mind suddenly snapped back to a old job he'd once done. A bank job. It had been a success and a failure at the same time. They had managed to steal around £100,000, but at the cost of two lives. The police were just behind them, but Emerald had somehow done something, he'd hidden the truck that he and the others were in. They were in plain view, but they weren't…it was as though they were invisible. At the time, Emerald had put it down to luck, but now that he thought back…

Emerald growled. What was he going to do? His arguments had all been blasted apart; he had no way of escaping. There was only one thing that he could do. Cooperate until he could escape, and in the meantime, get as much out of it as possible. First things first, he needed some equipment from his home, and most importantly, he needed to see Shell.

He looked at Dumbledore. 'Look, _if_ I go to Hogwarts, I want some things.'

'Well, my dear boy, it depends upon the suitability of them.'

'Well, can I at least ask you _in private_?' He said, pointedly looking at the surrounding people.

He smiled, 'but of course, Harry.'

'Emerald.'

'My friends, if you'd please, I believe me and "Emerald" here have some discussion to take place.'

With a last curious look behind them, the assembled people left the room. As soon as they were gone, Dumbledore turned to Emerald.

'So then, Mr. Potter, what is it you want?'

Emerald, just about to start yelling at Dumbledore again controlled his emotions. Why wouldn't the old bastard realize that his name was Emerald? He took a deep breath before beginning. 'Well, Dumbledore, I would like several things. Firstly, that I be allowed to go back to the ganghouse and gather some treasured items of mine. To prove that I won't run away, you can provide me with one of your Order members, preferably someone young who won't be as shocked about some of the things we get up to in there. Second, I am not returned to the Dursleys, otherwise, I cannot assure their safety. Instead, I will be returning to the ganghouse every holiday. I will not be returning to the Dursleys.

Dumbledore's face grew grim. 'Harry, I hope you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting about the Dursleys.'

'Well, if you mean am I going to get them, tie them up, gut them, use various objects to disembowel them, stab them, punch them, kick them, and in conclusion pay them back ten times what they did to me, then you are correct.'

Dumbledore sighed. 'Harry, I know that what the Dursley's did was cruel, but surely you can find it in your heart to forgive them.'

Emerald snarled. 'Look here, Dumbledore. My name isn't Harry Potter, accept it. He died a long time ago. Maybe I could've once been your hero, your inspiration. But I'm not. Harry Potter was killed a long time ago. I'm not sorry either. My life may have not been the most ideal ever, but I don't regret a single moment of it. Now, will you accept my deal or not. Should you refuse, then I promise that I can make your life difficult. You need a hero and an inspiration, and you need me to do that. Without me, you're in trouble.'

Dumbledore sighed. 'Emerald, I can send someone to collect the items that you need and if you want, I can have them deliver a message to them as well. As for the Dursley's, in light of your previous trials, I have decided that you won't have to return to the Dursley's completely, however, you must return occasionally. As much as it pains me to have you return to that place, the blood wards there must be restored.'

'Will your blood wards work if the Dursley's are all dead? Because that will be what'll happening. And before you say it, it's an absolute no to what you're going to say next'

'No? What would I be saying no to then, Harry?'

'My fucking name is Emerald, and I mean no, as in I will not return here summer after summer. I have my own allies and friends, and they do not involve the wizarding world. If I have to complete my studies, then I assure you, I will not be remaining in the Wizarding world, but rather, my world.'

Dumbledore frowned at that, Harry couldn't return to the Muggle world afterwards, he was far too important to his plans. The wizarding world needed to be reformed. The Ministry of Magic was far too corrupt to do any real good. Hardly any Death Eaters had been captured, and those who had were those unable to pay off the officials, or had done something to upset their master.

Dumbledore had done what he could to reform the Ministry. They had managed to remove the previous Minister of Magic temporarily as he was found to be corrupt and accepted too many bribes. Of course, when the Wizengamot had come to choose their new successor, the Wizengamot had been split into two factions. The faction for the light, and the faction for the dark. As it was necessary for at least three quarters of the Wizengamot to confirm the newly headed Minister of Magic. The result of this was that there was no overall leader of the Ministry, only Department Heads that more often than not were in rivalry against each other, causing for a serious deterioration in efficiency and government issues.

What was needed was a proper figurehead, somebody just like Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. Once he had defeated Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the position of purebloods everywhere would be in jeopardy, and that would create a vacuum of power that Dumbledore had already planned to fill. However, to do that, the Boy-Who-Lived was needed, at the very least for his endorsement of the candidate that Dumbledore would have to choose, if he couldn't use Harry. Still, he had all of the school years to convince him otherwise.

'Harry, I cannot in all good conscience allow you to go back to the ganghouse. It is far too dangerous, and we have no safeguards against Lord Voldemort or his Death Eaters there. I'm sorry, but you cannot go back. That bleak period of your life is over.'

Emerald felt himself grow even more pissed off, if that was even possible. How dare that man try and tell him what to do, he had no idea of what Emerald had gotten through in his years. His entire life had been spent with the gang; he had loved with them, fought with them. If asked to give up his life for them, he would've agreed without a hesitation.

Rick, the cool, laidback guy who could never be surprised. He was always willing to lend a hand, always willing to have a laugh, always willing to fight to the end for his friends. He had always been willing to fight to save his friends, you couldn't ask for a more loyal friend when you were in need.

And Shell, beautiful Shell. She was another cool type, but was prone to all kinds of emotions when she got enough into it. She was willing to do anything for her friends, and she had always been willing to do anything for Emerald. He had never really thought about it, but maybe, just maybe, Shell had always held a torch for him, but had just never noticed it before.

'Dumbledore, for now, I have no choice. But one day, one day you'll push me too far, and then you'll regret it. You're close to that line now, so you better watch what you say. Don't forget now that we killed four of your guys, and we've wounded another six. Let's not make it more now, shall we?'

'Now then,' Emerald said, folding his arms. 'I just need one item, you got it? Just one.

'And that would be?'

'A electric guitar. I assume that you know what one of them looks like, right?'

Dumbledore shook his head, causing Emerald to groan. 'Do you not have anyone from my world that's in your precious Order?'

'Well, yes, in fact I do. I know someone. Yes, I think that Tonks ought to get it for you. Do you have a message that you wish to give to anyone?'

'Yeah, but I'm not telling it to you. You got any paper?'

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and conjured out of nowhere a piece of paper and a quill with ink. Emerald picked up the quill with disgust. 'What the hell is this meant to be?'

Dumbledore looked confused. 'I assumed you knew how to write, perhaps if I-'

'No! I can write and read perfectly well, I'm on about the fact that quills went out at least a hundred years ago, if not more! Have you people never heard of biros? Pens? Not even pencils?'

'We don't use those Muggle contractions. The Wizarding world as a whole likes tradition, and Quills are a large part of that.'

Emerald shook his head in disgust. What the hell was he getting into? He dipped the pen into the ink and started writing down his message before handing it to Dumbledore. At Dumbledore's inquisitive look, Emerald shrugged. 'No point looking, it's my own personal code. Many have tried to break it before, but I'm afraid that none of them have ever succeeded.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'I will respect your privacy and won't read it despite the temptation that it offers to me.' He smiled at Emerald. 'I may as well tell you some things about what'll happen tomorrow.

Emerald shrugged. 'Fine then. It's not like I have a choice.'

Dumbledore smiled. 'Excellent. Right, first of all, Hogwarts will have provided you with your schoolbooks. You will also be receiving a wand at a later date, but for now you'll have to make do with practical magical theory, as we won't have enough time to get you a wand. You will be taken to the train station tomorrow along with the others and will head off to Hogwarts. Now, at Hogwarts, we will be having a very special event. I may as well tell you now, but I must ask you to not tell anyone else of this.'

'This year, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard tournament. Now, I realize that you have no idea what it is exactly, so I may as well tell you. The Triwizard tournament is a competition held between three schools, Hogwarts and two other schools in Bulgaria and France. However, it had been banned for quite a while as sadly one challenger died every time. However, this year, to try and cheer up our students and distract them from the war, we have decided to host it again. If all goes well, we will continue with the Triwizard tournament every four years.'

'Ok. Well, as long as you don't involve me in it. I have no intention of doing anything that I don't want to. I just want to get this over with without any complications. I just want to go home, Dumbledore. That's it. Understand?'

'Perfectly. Now, I'm sure that Sirius will be kind enough to take you to your bedroom. May as well get a couple of hours in, from what I've heard, you've been up for more than a day.'

'Whatever,' Emerald said dismissively as he walked to the door where he was greeted by Sirius, who looked him up and down. 'Yes, I'm cute. Get over it.' He sneered as Sirius bristled at the implication. Emerald waited for a moment. Sirius still hadn't moved. 'Well, where's my bedroom then?'

Sirius made to turn, but suddenly, a pink haired woman brushed past them, barging into the room where Dumbledore was. 'Dumbledore! The Muggles are under attack!'

'Where?'

'Where we just picked up Emerald!'

'What!?' Emerald shouted suddenly, turning on his heels. 'What the hell are you on about?'

'Inferi, they're attacking everyone there!'

Emerald turned blankly to Sirius. 'They mean zombies.'

'Shit!' Emerald turned to Dumbledore. 'Dumbledore, we're going there. You will give me my weapons, you will get your people and you are going to help me save my friends. Do you fucking understand me?'

Silently, Dumbledore nodded.

'Then what the fuck are we waiting for? Let's go kill some of these motherfuckers!'

**Hey guys, well, here's you're cliffy for the day. Will Emerald be able to defeat the Inferi, or if you didn't guess already, the "Crazies"? This is my longest chapter so far, so I'm hoping that all of you will review, because I've really worked hard on this.**

**By the way, I've set up a poll. I think it'll be highly unlikely that there'll be a Emerald/Shell pairing. So, I've put up some more choices. If anyone has any suggestions that are popular (and aren't involving Granger or Weasley), then I'll put it on the poll. I'm out for unusual pairings, because I always like reading those kinds of pairings. So please, review or PM me with suggestions.**

**Oh, and Happy Halloween!**

**From Kaeim.**


	8. Dude, zombies don't exist, right?

**Dude, zombies don't really exist. Right?**

Screaming, shouting, gunshots. In all, Rick thought with his feet up against the window ledge whilst holding his head gingerly, it was a nice ordinary afternoon. Of course, what _wasn't _normal were the several hungry looking, blood-stained people known as "The Crazies" that were standing just outside of the flat, pawing at the barricade that had only just been fixed after the crazy events of last night. But apart from that, everything was just _wonderful_. Rick sighed as he watched yet another person get dragged down by the ever-growing numbers of Crazies and devoured alive. And it had been _such _a lovely neighbourhood too. Meanwhile, behind him, Shell and several other members of the gang had gathered themselves together, pooling together their weapons and any ammo they had that wasn't used up the night previously. Shell suddenly left the group and walked over to Rick.

'Having fun?' She asked sarcastically.

Rick shrugged. 'Well, the action could be a little bit better, but the violence is extremely realistic.'

Shell rolled her eyes. 'Well, at least one of us is having fun.'

'Yeah, now if only I could get some popcorn.'

Shell absently slapped the back of his head, her attention rooted on the zombie crowd that were currently attacking their barricade. Her face turned into a frown, and she turned to Rick. 'It looks as though the barricade is set to fall at any moment.'

Rick nodded, his face set in a frown. 'How many of us are operational and ready to fight?'

Shell shook her head in despair. 'There's only a few of us awake from last night, and all of us have splitting headaches. In all, I'd say there are only ten of us awake out of around twenty-five including me and you.'

'Weapons?'

'Only what we had from last night, and let's face it, we used up a lot of ammo as well.'

'So, let me get this straight. We're down hugely by a lot of people.'

'Yup.'

'We don't have a lot of ammo.'

'Yup.'

'And we've lost Emerald.'

'Yup.'

'Oh fuck me.' Rick groaned. 'Right then, here's what we do. I want three people to block up the stairs and five people to search _every _room for weapons and ammo.'

Shell nodded, her bottom lip sliding between her teeth. 'Hang on, that leaves two people then doing nothing. And knowing you that means that that would be me and you. What are we doing?'

Rick waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and nodded towards the bedroom. 'If we're going to die, then we may as well die doing something we'd both enjoy.'

Shell laughed out loud, 'speak for yourself, pretty boy. You may get the fun, but I'd get nothing out of it.'

'Ooh, cold.'

'Damn straight.'

'So what do you think we should do then?'

'We couldn't just go kill zombies now, could we?'

'How boring.'

'Only you would call going on a zombie hunt boring, Rick, only you.'

------------

Dumbledore quickly assembled the Order, this time, not just a small squad of elites, but this time a huge number of them. Emerald had been rushed with around twenty other members inside of a room, where Dumbledore was calmly answering shouted questions. Suddenly, the pink-haired woman who had informed Dumbledore of the attack on the Underworld approached Dumbledore.

'Professor Dumbledore, the Ministry has been informed of the incident, and are amassing the Aurors and hit-wizards. They will be going in full force.' She then approached a map of the Underworld, with various key locations highlighted, Emerald's flat foremost one of them. With her wand, she highlighted a large area of the map. 'They will be attacking the area through the west, moving through the areas there. Any Muggles located there will be taken for memory removal at St. Mungos, and any Death Eaters with auxiliary forces will either be taken prisoner or killed.'

'Woah woah woah! Hold up there, what the hell do you mean by "memory removal"?' Emerald demanded, attracting the attention of the majority of the room.

'Albus, who is this?' A black man asked Dumbledore emotionlessly, his eyes resting on Emerald. Emerald bristled under his watchful eyes, slowly allowing himself to puff up to full height.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he answered the man. 'This, Kingsley, is going to be one of our most powerful symbols for the light in the war. This, my friends, is Harry James Potter.'

'Emerald!' Emerald called out in the midst of a sudden rise in noise from the assembled Order members, many of whom approached Emerald, all of them trying to shake his hand. Many of them looked at his snake tattoo with worrying expressions, before looking at his forehead for some reason, many of them gasping at some sight that they saw on Emerald's forehead. They called out questions, their voices loud and excited, their voices all becoming one combined mass. Dumbledore, to Emerald's annoyance, simply stood there, watching Emerald with a small smile.

'Enough is fucking enough!' Emerald finally roared in anger, causing the crowd of people surrounding him to back away. 'I don't know who the fuck you all are, but I am not accepting this off of a bunch of strangers! Get back or I'll fucking smash the next person who dares to test me in the face! So fuck off!'

The Order members backed off, some of them discretely and not-so-discretely going for their wands. Emerald sneered at them, turning to Dumbledore. 'Hey, Dumbles, can we go or what? I don't know about you, but I don't fancy having my friends being eaten alive while we sit here having tea and crumpets.'

'Yes, yes, quite right Mr. Potter.'

'Will you stop calling me by that name?'

'There's a certain river in Egypt that sums up what you may be in at the moment.'

'Oh ha, fucking, ha.'

'Yes, well, either way, I do believe that we should be off then. Everyone, make sure you work _with _the Aurors and hit-wizards. We need no heroics today. Should you see any Muggles, knock them out. If they have been bitten, then they're dead already. Make sure that they are decapitated, or at the very least, make sure their brain has been pierced. Try not to take risks.' He then turned to Emerald. 'You will be accompanying these three.' He gestured to Kingesly, Tonks and a severely scarred looking man with a glass eye.

'Fuck me,' Emerald said softly. 'What the fuck happened to you then?'

'Dark wizards, boy, keep an eye out for them. They could be anywhere. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!'

Emerald wiped his face where spittle had landed on him. He sighed, before looking at Dumbledore. 'Well, you keep a sane bunch here, don't you?'

The scarred man bristled, and Dumbledore smiled, before waving his wand over various pieces of paper. The scarred man grabbed Emerald by the hand, holding it under an iron grip and placed it on one of the papers. Tonks and Kingsley followed the man, placing their own hands on the paper. Emerald looked at everyone in bewilderance, as the rest of the room filed around the pieces of paper. Dumbledore looked at Emerald, his eyes twinkling.

'Stay close to them, Emerald. They are the best we offer.'

Emerald rolled his eyes, 'God help me,' he muttered. 'I'm really going to die, aren't I?'

Tonks, the pink-haired pretty woman who was next to Emerald let out a small chuckle, winking at Emerald when he looked at her. He smiled back.

'At least someone's got a sense of humour around here.' He said in a stage-whisper.

Suddenly, a loud whooshing noise filled Emerald's ears, and he felt his feet leave the ground, and started flying off in a whirlwind to whether the paper was taking them.

Hang on, Emerald suddenly thought. Where the hell is my gun?

------------

Emerald suddenly found himself on the ground, the three Order members standing above his body facing outwards. He groaned as he got up, before he looked around. His eyes suddenly widened.

'Oh, my, fucking, God.'

Around the four of them, just outside of the flat, were at least fifty zombies. At the sound of Emerald's voice, they started to turn and lumber towards them, their mouths opening in anticipation for fresh meat.

'_Reducto_!' Kingsley fired a spell from his wand, directly landing a hit on one of the zombies. A huge gaping hole was suddenly apparent in its chest, exposing the dead, rotting innards of what used to be a living, breathing human being. The man with the glass eye glared at Kingsley.

'What did Dumbledore tell you, Kingsley? Aim for their heads! Reducto!' This time, the zombie with the gaping hole in its chest fell over, clearly dead. Of course, probably anything would be dead once it was missing its head. The man laughed harshly as his wand pointed at another zombie. 'Reducto!' The other two opened up fire with their wands. The zombies started to fall down dead left and right, but even so, there were too many of them. Emerald watched desperately as they drew closer and closer.

'_Incendio_!' A wave of fire spread out from Tonks' wand, driving some of them back, but the majority simply went around them.

'Fucking hell,' Emerald murmured. 'I'm going to die without a fucking weapon...that's just fucked up.'

As he stood there helplessly, watching the zombies grow closer and closer, he suddenly saw in the waistline of Tonks' trousers a gun. Emerald's gun, to be precise. A grin breaking out on his face, he quickly darted behind Tonks, grabbing the gun. Tonks squeaked in indignation, glaring at Emerald. 'You do realize that there is a time and a place for that kind of behavior, right?'

Realising that he had inevitably touched Tonks' ass, he simply grinned at her. 'My dear Tonks, when is there never a time and place for that kind of behavior? Besides, as lovely as your ass is,' he gave it an admiring look. 'I wasn't actually intending to touch it.' He waggled his gun in front of her, making sure to aim the barrel away from her. 'But perhaps when this is all over, you can look me up.' He winked as he pushed past her, ignoring Tonks' yells for him to get back to the circle.

Emerald walked in front of a zombie, aiming his gun at the zombie's head. It moaned as Emerald smirked at it.

'Meet my gun.' He said to the zombie, pressing the trigger. Immediately, a bullet shot out of the gun and went straight through the head of the zombie, as it immediately collapsed. Emerald smirked. 'I love my gun.' He sighed with bliss, turning it against another zombie. He managed to take down another four zombies before he ran out of ammo. He quickly retreated back to Tonks and Co., only to receive another ammo pack from Tonks and was told sternly to go get his ass back out there and start killing the Inferi, or she'd show him what his Muggle weapon would look like if it was shoved up the place where the sun don't shine. Enough being said, Emerald immediately ran back out there, shooting as many zombies as possible.

It took the four of them five minutes before the last zombie fell to the ground, finally dead. Emerald breathed heavily, Tonks leaning forward, while Kingsley and the scarred man stood upright, looking around for enemies. Finally, the scarred man grunted his approval, and beckoned Emerald to follow them, as they walked through the large hole in the barricade, checking for enemies at every step. Emerald hurried ahead of them, eager to get inside of the flat and to see if anyone was still alive.

When he entered the flat, the first thing he noticed were the various bodies of zombies scattered around the floor. The trail of bodies led up the stairs, where various obstacles had been placed in an obvious attempt to slow down the attacking creatures. The first gang member he found was dead, lying in the corner of the room. A gun was by his side that was empty of bullets, and was surrounded by at least three zombies. It was clear that he had taken his own life, rather than become one of them. It was more than could be said for the next gang member that he found, who appeared to have become one of them, before dying.

Emerald was becoming frantic now, as he went further and further up the flat, finding yet more bodies of zombies and gang members. Luckily, he hadn't found the bodies yet of Shell or Rick, which hopefully meant that they weren't dead. Or zombies.

'Shell!' He called frantically into the corridors of the flat. 'Rick!'

The three Order members behind him followed cautiously, looking at each other sometimes in sympathy and despair. They felt for the young saviour who had apparently lost everything all at once.

'Rick! Shell!' He yelled again, his gun held in front of him. Just as he reached a door, he stopped as he heard thuds from inside the room. The three Order members behind him, he held his gun in front of him, and opened the door cautiously, looking inside. He suddenly closed it quickly, putting his back to the door and his arms spread to the sides, stopping anyone from going in.

'Um, there are no zombies in there, nothing to worry about.'

'What's in there then?'

'Um...just...stuff. Nothing to worry about.'

Moody looked over Emerald's head, before his eye widened and he turned to the other two Order members. 'The kid's right, we really don't want to go in there.'

'Oh get out of my way.' Tonks said dismissively, pushing Emerald to one side and opening the door for everyone to see.

Being held upright, Shell was held against the wall by Rick, both of their sweaty naked bodies intwined together as Rick thrust upwards into Shell, her face a picture of pleasure as she pushed downwards. Suddenly, her eyes opened and she saw Emerald and the others standing there.

'Shit!' She swore, pushing Rick off of her.

'What the fuck?' He asked her, angrily, before he turned around and saw Emerald there. 'Holy shit...'

'Well,' Emerald said dryly. 'I can see that some of us are having fun in my absence.'

Rick grinned. 'Dude!' He held his arms open, but stayed where he was. 'I'd hug ya and all, but, well, I'm naked.'

'So we can see!' Remarked Tonks from behind Kingsley.

'Like what you see?' Rick called out cheekily.'

'Not the time, Rick.' Shell said warningly, pulling on her clothes desperately.

'Well,' Emerald started slowly, his eyes casually looking over Shell's naked body. 'If you two have finished with your little fun, maybe we can all get out of here... Is there anyone else alive?'

Shell, who had by now pulled on the majority of her clothes, pointed down the hall. 'There're the others who weren't able to fight. They're still unconscious, thanks to those _people_.' She glared at the three Order members pointedly. 'Who're they, anyway?'

'Moody,' the scarred man answered, glaring at her as his false eye operated differently from where his face was looking. It spun around the room, even rotating behind, showing the assembled people in the room the back of his eye. Shell shuddered slightly, while Rick looked on in sick fascination.

'Tonks.' She smiled at Shell, giving a sly wink.

'Kingsley.' He gave a small bow, causing Shell and Rick to raise an eyebrow in amusement.

'Did you lot kidnap Emerald?'

'I wouldn't say kidnap, so much as say rescued –' Tonks started to say, only to be confronted by an angry trio.

'Oh I see, so you call attacking teenagers, some of who aren't even eleven years old, rescue?' Shell said, her face angry.

'And what the hell makes you think that I actually wanted rescuing in the first damned place? I mean, for fuck's sake, I know nothing about your goddamned world! I've lived here for the majority of my life. I was fucking happy! And then you dare to just come in here, attack us, and kidnap me! And you tell me that it's for the best?'

Tonks looked downcast, while Kingsley and Moody simply stared at him, their faces obviously uncaring.

'As fun as this little sobfest is,' Moody said, glaring at Emerald as though he was the one to blame for all this mess. 'The fact remains that this building is unsecured, and if you want to help your friends, then you will shut up, grab whatever weapons you have, and get ready to leave.'

'What about the others in the room?' Rick demanded.

'We'll put a spell on the door, which will stop any Inferi from getting inside. Now get your asses moving. Kingsley, you're up front with me. Tonks, you'll take the rear. You three, you stay in the middle of us. Understand?'

'Yes Sir!' The two Order members chorused. The trio just looked at Moody with disgust.

'What a fucker,' Rick muttered as he bent over to pick up his gun. Meanwhile, Emerald was being hugged by Shell.

'Alright already,' Emerald muttered, pushing her away slightly, ignoring her hurt look. He looked around the room, searching for any spare pieces of ammo. He sneered slightly when he found none, before he made his way over to where the Order members where. 'Are you two finished yet?' He called to Rick and Shell, who had grabbed whatever guns they could find.

'Yeah.' Rick called back. He made his way over to them. 'What'll happen to the others when we've gone?'

'They'll be picked up by the Ministry, probably, and be placed under the _obliviate _charm by the Ministry.'

'What's obliviate?' Shell asked Emerald, mystified

'It means their minds will be wiped of this event.'

'What?' She yelled, aghast that anyone would do that. 'Why would they do that?'

'Because, young missy,' Moody said, his false eye still looking around the corridor. 'The Ministry has no interest in the Muggles discovering the Wizarding World. We live separately from them, and they from us. It's always been that way. Besides, who knows how you lot would react to us.'

As the six of them made their way outside, Moody was still looking around. All of a sudden, however, he stopped, holding his hand in the air, causing everyone else to stop.

'What's up Moody?' Tonks asked in a hushed voice.

'Death Eater,' he whispered.

'What are Death Eaters?' Emerald whispered back.

'The forces of You-Know-Who. They're Dark Wizards.'

'Whose You-Know-Who?' Rick whispered to Emerald.

'Some guy called Lord Voldemort, I think. They're all shit scared of his name though, they flinch every time you say it. If it wasn't so pathetic, it would be funny.' Rick smirked at the name.

'_Avada Kedvada' _A hoarse voice suddenly screamed out. A green light suddenly came out of nowhere towards the six of them. As the six of them ducked and leapt to one side, Moody yelled out, 'Scatter!'

'Fuck that,' Rick swore at Moody, pointing his weapon in the direction of the green light, and fired where it came from. There was no sign, however, that anything had been hit. Absently, Emerald heard in the background screaming and shouting, with various gunshots that ominously stopped firing. Soon, there was nothing but silence. Emerald gulped, his mind suddenly filled with an irrational fear that something bad was about to go down. The three Order members were on their knees, their wands pointing outwards and their eyes deadly sharp, looking around for their enemy.

As Rick reloaded his gun, Emerald and Shell joined him, all of them looking around for their enemy.

'What the fuck are we going to do?' Rick whispered to the other two.

'I say we get the fuck out of here,' Shell whispered back.

'What do you have in mind?' Emerald whispered.

'I say that we all run as fast as we fucking can and get away from these people. Hopefully, we can get out of here all together. Maybe escape from those people that supposedly "rescued" you from what must have obviously been your inhumanely kept prison.'

'I'm going to have to agree with Shell on this one, Emerald. I don't know what the fuck you've managed to get yourself into, but there is no way in hell that I am sticking around to deal with it. They're talking about _removing _our memories, Emerald. Now there is nothing on this earth that can do something like that, yet they're talking about it like it can be done. And they don't even have any fucking weapons! Only those weird sticks that can produce light. Look, mate, we have got to get out of here. I highly doubt you want to stick around to deal with them, and neither do I. So are you with us, or are you with them?'

Emerald snorted. 'Like you really need me to answer that. Let's get ready to run. You see the side gate?' The other two nodded. 'Right, on three, we run like we've never run before. One...two...three, go!'

The three of them ran suddenly as quickly as they could, the startled calls of Tonks echoed behind them as they ran as fast as they could.

'Stupefy!' A red light hit Rick who fell to the ground. Shell made to stop, but Emerald grabbed her hand, and pulled her along with him.

'It's too late, Shell. He's been hit. It's every man for himself, and there is no way that we're going to get caught because of one person.'

'Bastard,' Shell sobbed, her breath already ragged, but she continued running. Rick's body soon was out of sight.

'Stupefy!' Another red light hit Shell, and she collapsed. Emerald halted this time momentarily. He dithered for a few seconds, but another red light almost hit him.

'Fuck this,' he muttered as he ran off again, his gun firmly held in his hand. He ran for another five minutes, before he ended up in an alleyway that was a dead end. In all that time that he had been running, he hadn't seen a single person ,whether dead or alive. It was...creepy... By now, the gunshots that had previously been there in the background had all gone, and there was no noise anymore, only the sounds of cars and normal life that carried on just outside of the Underworld. That, at least, was an assurance that life was still going on. Although, that wasn't much of a reassurance for Emerald, as he was the one stuck in this place.

'Here, kitty, kitty, kitty,' Emerald tensed as a voice called out in a singsong voice. 'I know your here. Come out; come out, whether you are.' There was a sound of insane giggling as it came closer, and closer.

'_Incarcerous_!'

Emerald swore suddenly as he fell over, bound tightly by ropes. He could only move his hands a tiny bit, but at least he had been still holding onto his gun when he had been caught unawares. The sound of giggling came closer, until suddenly two people appeared in front of him.

A woman, who could be described as quite hot had she bothered to take the time to actually take care of herself, came up to him. Her foul breath washed over his face, and he flinched.

The woman saw this, and she cackled, sneering at him. 'Do you see this, this pitiful excuse for a wizard?' She giggled at him.

The other person, a man with long hair that was brown, looked at him through the eyeholes of a silver mask. 'Yes,' he said in a dull voice. 'Look at him, all aquiver and terror.' He took a deep sniff. 'You can smell the very fear on him, and oh my dear Merlin, it absolutely _reeks_.' He pointed his wand at Emerald, who glared at him.

'Do you have any last words, Muggle filth?'

'Yeah, I have three last words actually. Meet my gun.'

He pressed the trigger of the gun. The barrel, which had been facing the man fired with a bang, hitting the man in his throat. He made to point it at the woman, but was too late.

'_Expelliarmus_!' The gun suddenly few out of Emerald's hands into the hands of the woman, which she tossed to one side into the corner. She sneered at him. 'You filthy Muggle, did you really think you could kill me?' She looked disdainfully at the fallen Death Eater next to her, who gurgled in his own blood as it spread through the hole in his throat. He was choking to death. 'I really should put this fool out of his misery, and yet, he failed my Lord, didn't he? He should have been more careful. But it was only a Muggle. And yet, this Muggle has a weapon, doesn't he?'

Emerald stared at her in shock. The woman was crazy! He tried to crawl away while that woman was still talking to herself, but she pointed her wand at him. '_Petrificus Totalus_!' Emerald instantly froze up, his muscles not responding to his commands. She absent-mindedly rolled him over with her foot, having him face her.

'I think it's time for the Muggle to die, don't you? Bye-bye Muggle, see you in hell?' Giggling manically, she pointed her wand at him one more time.

'_Avada_ –'

'_Expelliarmus_!' The wand in her hand was suddenly dragged away. She spun around, her face furious, before it suddenly turned to terror.

'Hello, Mrs. Lestrange. A fine day, is it not?' Albus Dumbledore said, walking towards her calmly, his wand in his hand.

'Dumbledore,' she hissed maliciuosly. 'My master will kill you.'

'Oh, I'm sure that Tom would like nothing better than to do just that. And yet, if wishes all came true, then what would we wish for then?'

'Bastard,' she hissed.

'I assure you, Mrs. Lestrange, my parents were married when I was conceived.'

The woman suddenly grabbed something in her pocket, disappearing before Dumbledore could do anything. He regarded the empty space where the woman had been standing with a sad look.

'You idiot,' Emerald hissed from the floor, still bound up in ropes. Dumbledore waved his wand, making the ropes disappear, and allowing Emerald to get up. 'Why the hell didn't you kill her when you had the fucking choice?'

'Mercy is a virtue, Mr. Potter.' Dumbledore said gravely. 'To disregard life is a crime against humanity as a whole, and should only be taken in the most dire circumstances.'

Emerald stared at Dumbledore, amazed at what absolute bullshit came out of his mouth. 'Dumbledore,' Emerald started, determined to lay voice to his thoughts. 'I cannot believe what bullshit comes out of your mouth. You don't win wars by simply capturing the fucking enemy, you have to decapitate the head, you have to cut its body piece by piece if you have to. You don't just fucking stand there and let your enemy disappear.'

'And yet that is what I did, Mr. Potter.' Dumbledore said sternly, looking at Emerald with not-so-twinkling eyes anymore. 'And it is because of that that I can sleep at night with my conscience clear. Can you say the same, Mr. Potter?'

'Yeah, I can.'

Dumbledore sighed sadly, looking at Emerald. 'Then I pity you, Harry. More than you will ever realize'

Emerald stalked up to him 'My name,' he hissed. 'Is Emerald.'

Suddenly, Shell and Rick appeared from behind Emerald, followed by the three Order members.

'Dumbledore,' Moody said. 'The Ministry is close now; they've more or less cleared out the area of Inferi, and are moving in to obliviate any Muggle survivors. The Order is waiting for your orders, what do you want us to do?'

'Have them Portkey back to Headquarters or whether it is they wish to go.' Moody nodded, casting a silvery light that took on the shape of an alligator, and watched it waddle off at a quick speed. Dumbledore turned to Rick and Shell.

'I am afraid that I cannot permit you to come with us, and Emerald here will not be staying either. What do you wish to do?'

Shell glared at him. 'Why the fuck can't we go with him?'

'Because,' Dumbledore started. 'The simple fact is that the two of you are Muggles, and are under more threat than we are to being captured and having the location of headquarters ripped out of your minds by Death Eaters. We can allow you to keep your memories, but you will have to return to your flat with the others, while we inform the Ministry that we have already checked the flat, and have found no-one in there.'

'You're a right prick, you know that?'

Dumbledore simply stared at her. 'If that is what I must become for the Greater Good, then so be it. I become, as you call it, a prick to save the world we live in.'

Shell made to say something else, but was stopped by a hand to her shoulder. Rick looked at her, preventing her from saying anything else, before he turned to Emerald.

'Emerald mate, make sure you come find us then some time. Alright?'

'Yeah, I swear.' The two of them quickly hugged each other, before Emerald hugged Shell. 'I'll miss you,' he muttered into her ear.

'You'd better.' She said back, sniffing slightly.

He then turned to Dumbledore, hatred in his eyes as he looked at him. 'Let's go then.' He put his hand out. Dumbledore took out a coin from his pocket, placing it in Emerald's hand and touched the coin as well. He spoke clearly, looking at the coin.

'Freedom.'

And with that, a bright light enveloped Emerald as he felt himself swept off of his feet into a vortex that was taking him back to Headquarters. The bright sun of the newly emerged day shone brightly into the Underworld, revealing for the first time the true horrors of what the Death Eaters had brought onto it.

Rick and Shell looked at each other sadly, turning to leave when Moody stood in front of them, pointing his wand at them.

'What the –' Rick started to say when he was interrupted by Moody.

'_Obliviate_!'


	9. Diagon Alley

**A trip to Diagon Alley**

Emerald groaned as he landed on the floor again, knocked down. Dumbledore stood above him, his eyes twinkling down at Emerald's predicament. In the room they were in, Molly was bustling around in the kitchen, various kitchen tools being conscripted by magic into creating food. A delicious smell waved through the kitchen, Emerald noted as he took a quick sniff, a small smile appearing on his face before it disappeared as quick as it had come. He sneered slightly at the three teenagers sitting at the table, all of them eating soup. He quickly took a glance at them.

One of them was clearly not related to the other two. With bushy brown hair and quite a long pair of front two teeth, it gave her the unfortunate picture of a human-beaver. Even so, she was quite pretty in the girl-next-door kind of way. She was clearly a bookworm, as several books were piled in a stack next to her, an arm on top of them for what appeared to be security. The next one, another girl, was a small redhead who was clearly related to the other boy sitting at the table, and Molly, who was busy brushing down Dumbledore, and was clearly ignoring Emerald. The girl gave him a look up and down, a cheeky grin on her face as, before she quickly looked away when she saw Emerald looking. The last person, another redhead boy, was glaring at Emerald. Or more accurately, he was glaring at Emerald's face where his tattoo was. When he realised that Emerald was looking at him, he gave a barely-impressible sneer, and turned away to what was a huge amount of food.

Emerald's eyebrows rose in slight astonishment that anyone could eat so much, yet remain so thin. Logically, it was impossible, but then again, so was magic...and talking portraits...and wizards...yeah, either logic was fucking with him, or his mind was fucking with him. Either way, he was being fucked. And unless it was by a girl, then it wasn't a good thing.

'Why don't you sit down, Harry? I'm sure Molly has plenty of food left over.'

Emerald glared at Dumbledore. 'For what appears to be the twentieth goddamned fucking time, will you stop calling me by that name, and address me by _my _name, which you full well know is fucking Emerald!'

There were several gasps from the table occupants, and Molly flung her tablecloth onto the sink and spun around, her eyes set in an angry stare with her arms on her sides. Before anyone could say something, Dumbledore interrupted, chuckling. 'Now, now, _Emerald_.' He stressed the last word. 'I know that you have been brought up in somewhat...difficult and challenging circumstances, but while I'm here, I'm afraid that I must ask you to not use any foul language whilst around other people.'

'Fuck you!'

Dumbledore sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand. To be honest, he hadn't expecting it to be difficult. And if he was going to be even more honest, he hadn't really known what to expect. Whilst normally he was known for being a wizard that could predict the outcome of nearly any kind of situation, he most certainly was not prepared for this version of Harry Potter. What had he hoped for, really? As cruel as it would sound, Dumbledore really had been hoping that the Harry Potter he had found would be poor...quiet...a person willing to do anything for anyone who showed any kindness towards him. Something like a Gryffindor or even a Hufflepuff. And yet, he was given Harry. He was clearly not willing to do anything for anyone, and even worst, he showed a great dislike towards them. Heck, Dumbledore was even willing to say that Harry _hated _them.

Banishing those thoughts from his head, he turned back to Molly. 'Molly, if I am not mistaken, I smell some of your delicious soup that I only just ate last night, am I correct in presuming that you have some more on the stove?'

Blushing, Molly nodded quickly. 'Yes, Headmaster. Please, sit down and I can pour you some.'

Dumbledore chuckled, patting his stomach ruefully. 'I'm afraid I cannot, my dear Molly. I'm afraid that in these troubled times; I don't have enough time to eat as much as I used to. And consequently, I find myself needing to eat less than I used to. So I'm afraid that I'm going to have to decline your offer of what sounds to be a wonderful meal. However, I am quite certain that my young friend here would like something to eat.' He turned to Emerald. 'Please, go ahead and sit down. I'm sure you'll enjoy the wonders of Molly's cooking. Merlin only knows that I have, many times!' Chuckling, Dumbledore strolled to the fireplace, where he pulled out a bag. Reaching inside it, he pulled out some green powder and threw it into the fireplace, before walking inside of it and disappearing.

Emerald stood there, his mouth slightly open as his mind tried to process what it had just seen.

O...k...so, let's recap today, Emerald thought. I've been kidnapped by strange people calling themselves wizards, been dragged away from my life, found out that my home has just been attacked by zombies, killed the zombies and helped to save whatever remains of the gang, and now the person who just kidnapped me has gone and performed suicide by walking into an open fire. Well, that's not unusual at all now, is it?

'Floo powder.'

'Huh?' Emerald said, looking at the bushy-haired girl.

'That's floo powder. Don't worry; I thought the same thing when I first saw it being used. It's basically just like a transportation device for wizards, rather like cars or aeroplanes that Muggles use.' She held out her hand. 'Hi, I'm Hermione Granger.'

Emerald started at her blankly, taking her hand with his own and shaking it slightly. 'I'm Emerald,' he said hesitantly.

'Yeah, we know about you. You gave us all a scare though last night when you came around stomping up and down the place like that. And with a gun!'

'Yeah, like something like that could hurt us,' the redhead muttered. Hermione glared at Ron.

'Ron, just because you it's Muggle doesn't mean that it's useless against wizards. They're a lot smarter than you like to give credit for.'

'Judging from their taste of music, I find that highly unlikely.' He gave a small sneer towards Emerald.

'There are different types of music you know, Ron.' She glared at him.

Emerald decided to inject himself into the conversation. 'What kind of music have you listened to,' he addressed Hermione.

She blushed slightly. 'Well, we actually went to a concert of yours two nights ago.' She smiled at him. 'It was very nice.'

'Speak for yourself,' Ron muttered.

'Oh, just because you wanted to ask a Muggle girl to dance but were too scared!' She glared at him scathingly.

'I never wanted to do anything of the sort!' He half yelled at her. 'You on the other hand...'

'Oh grow up Ron, someone happened to ask me to dance, and you went all into a huff about it. It's not my fault.'

'You danced with the guy, didn't you?'

Molly suddenly intervened, staring at her son in anger. 'Ronald Weasley! I didn't raise you so that you could go around gallivanting with girls who are probably _promiscuous_. You know as well as I do that me and your father raised you to be a gentleman, so that you could grow up to be well educated and have a nice job in the Ministry for when you're older!'

Emerald simply stared at the three of them in bemusement. What, the, hell? Emerald sighed and put his elbows on the table, his head in his hands as he rubbed his tattoo. It never failed to keep him calm, the repetitive smooth motion that came with sketching out the outlines of the snake on his face. In the corner of his eye, he noted the redhead girl watching his movements, entranced. He glanced at her, and was made even more amused when she quickly turned away from him.

Ron finally finished arguing with Hermione, and turned to Emerald, looking up and down him with hostility, not knowing what to make of him. He coughed, nervously, getting Emerald's attention. 'Um, Harry?'

'Emerald,' Emerald growled.

'Sorry, Emerald then. Where are you going to stay for the rest of the holidays?'

'Holidays?'

'Yeah, why do you think we're not at school?'

'Oh, I wouldn't actually know. I've haven't been to a school since I was around six years old.'

'Wicked!' Ron said with admiration.

'Poor you!' Hermione said with feeling. The two turned to each other, glaring at each other again.

'Ron, it is not _wicked_, as you put it. Everyone needs a good education to get on in life! Why do you think that Emerald is like the way he is' She suddenly gasped, realising what she said as Emerald suddenly stood up angrily.

'What do you mean, "Emerald is like the way he is? What's wrong with me?'

Hermione was soundless for a few seconds, her mouth open. 'It...its just that...well, you can hardly say that you've had the best upbringing, can you?'

'And what,' Emerald growled dangerously, 'do you claim to know about my upbringing?'

'I told them.' Molly interceded sternly. 'I don't believe that my children should be permitted to hang around with somebody as _dangerous _and uncouth as yourself.' She looked at Emerald sternly. 'The fact that you haven't attended even a _Muggle _school just makes it worst in my opinion.' She looked down on Emerald with obvious disapproval.

Emerald simply stared at her in slight amusement. The other three at the table stared at Molly in complete and utter shock that she would say anything so scathing. Suddenly, Emerald started laughing, quietly at first, but soon turned into a full roar of laughter.

'What's the joke?' Molly demanded, her ears turning slightly red.

'You want to know what the joke is? I'll tell you then. It's you who is the joke. From what I have seen of you so far, you're paranoid, overprotective, dismissive and quite frankly, racist. The last, in my opinion, is worst, because you treat us so-called _Muggles _as though we're dirt. But from what I've seen of your culture, your technology is outdated, you have no sense of ideals or morals, and quite frankly, the only thing that's surprised me so far is that we haven't discovered you yet. Of course, that might be because you mind-wipe anyone in your way.'

'How dare you!' Molly yelled at Emerald, who raised an eyebrow dismissively. The other three, even if they wanted to intervene, were completely shell-shocked.

'How dare I? I think the real question here is how dare you! Your part of a group who kidnaps people, forces them into a war that they have nothing to do with, and expect them to get on with them all the same. For Christ's sake, I know what your plans are for me already. You want to send me to a bloody school where I know absolutely nothing about magic, you're trying to make me into something that you need and what I don't want! You've already tried to adjust me, by removing something extremely important to me!' He gestured to his snake tattoo, angrily, suddenly feeling his skin where his tattoo was located seemingly shuddered. Hermione's eyes widened slightly at it. 'And as for you three,' he gestured towards Ron, Hermione and the red-headed girl. 'You were ordered by the great _Albus Dumbledore_ to make friends with me, and to try and influence me towards something called Gryffindor.'

'How dare you insult Albus Dumbledore!'

'Oh my god, it's like a bloody track here, "how dare you", "how dare you", "how dare you". And your _headmaster _isn't so great. Hell, he put me with abusive relatives, he allowed me to be abused, he never even bothered checking up on me! Hell, he caused the death of many people who I've called friends and family for years!' Emerald was in full rant now, pictures of dead gang-members appearing in his head. He was literally screaming at the four of them now. Molly had back away as Emerald walked towards her, invading her private space. 'If it wasn't for him, those zombies wouldn't have attacked my home and friends, killing loads of them! And then, afterwards, he has the _gall _to tell me to not swear, to not address me by the name that I've used since I was six, to sit down and eat, ignoring the sickness I have in my fucking stomach that would cause me to throw up on your oh-so-lovely floor that's come about from seeing my _friends _being chewed upon, having _chunks _of their bodies torn out by zombies! And then you go and fucking mind wipe anyone in your way, ignoring the fact that loads of people died. Hell, I don't even know if Albus-fucking-Dumbledore made the zombies attack my friends and home. It's just very fucking convienant that as soon as I appear here, most of everyone I know is dead, leaving me with little to return to at home, isn't it?'

Emerald spat on the floor, before he stormed off through the door, shoving his way aggressively past Sirius and Lupin who had run to the room when they heard Emerald screaming at Molly. Remus winced slightly, looking at the four occupants of the room, all of whom looked incredibly shocked and scared.

'It's certainly going to be more interesting now that Harry's returned,' Sirius remarked.

Everyone stared at him.

'Shut up, Sirius.'

-----------------------------

It wasn't until five hours later, that Emerald found himself being shaken awake. His mind, still half-asleep, immediately assumed that he was back in the gang house. It had always been an unofficial rule that anyone could do whatever they wanted, up to a certain point. Emerald had always made sure that no one would disturb him when he was asleep. It had always been that way since he'd come to the gang house, and had awoken up, his mind still filled with dreams of terror and hatred that had been given to him by his relatives. As time had gone on, and Emerald had grown older and more ferocious in fights, it had turned out that Emerald had begun to associate his dreams with violence. When he woke up, he was naturally more violent, and if he believed he was being threatened, he would react accordingly.

As quickly as the speed of light, Emerald reached out with his hand, grabbing the reeling person by the throat and slammed them next to him on the bed. Quickly straddling the person, he raised his fist and punched it downwards. He punched it downwards, only to quickly move it slightly to the side, not able to stop his fist from hitting a object, but managing to punch the bed directly next to the person's face. Breathing heavily, he looked down at the wide eyed spiky pink haired girl whose name he had never bothered to find out. He looked at her blankly, before realising the position that he was in. He was still straddling her stomach, leaning over her.

'You know, if you really wanted to sleep with me, you could've asked,' the pink-haired witch said, her face alive with amusement.

Emerald shrugged, smirking at her. 'Yeah, I could've, but I ask you, where's the fun in that? Anyway, who are you?'

'Tonks.'

'Pretty unusual sounding name. You one of Dumbledore's lot then?'

'Not just one of Dumbledore's lot, as you say. I'm an Auror as well.'

'Pretty fancy-sounding title. What's it mean?'

'It's kinda like a police officer in Muggle terms.' She looked at Emerald, an eyebrow raised. 'Um, you do realise your still on top of me, right?'

'Yeah, I know.'

Tonks waited a few seconds. 'So, are you going to get off?'

'Well, I wasn't really planning on it. I find it kind of comfortable here, don't you?'

'Very funny pretty boy, but your _way _to young for me.'

'It ain't how old you are, it's what you can do with it.'

Tonks chuckled. 'Very funny, Potter, but like I've said, your way too young for me. So seriously, get off of me.'

Emerald gave a deep remorseful sigh, waving his hands in the air and got off of Tonks. 'Your wish is my command, as long as you call me _Emerald_, not Potter, not Harry, but _Emerald_.'

Tonks sniffed with an aristocratic air, which was then ruined when she tripped over Emerald's jeans that he had chucked onto the ground when he had stormed upstairs last night, randomly searching for a place that didn't look occupied and would make a good place to sleep the rest of the day and night away. Christ knows that he needed the rest after having to put up with all of that. So far, in his mental list, Emerald had comprised of yesterday being about; Kidnapping, Wizards/Witches, Zombie attacks and red-headed bitchiness. In short, an absolutely stark-raving normal day, for sure.

Emerald, sighing as he watched Tonks flail about on the ground. He chuckled, she looked like a tortoise, except without the shell, and the fact she was human...and the fact that she was quite fit with a nice pair of tits. Walking over to her, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up. She blushed as she brushed some dust from her clothes, before she blanched took a step back, her cheeks burning red. 'Um, Emerald?'

'Yeah?'

'You do realise that your only wearing boxers, right?'

'Yup.' He smirked at her. 'Like the view?'

'Bit on the small side, isn't it?' Tonks said, raising an eyebrow in challenge at Emerald, who gaped at her in shock.

'_Bit small_?' He said loudly, his eyes wide. 'How, very, dare you!'

Tonks was giggling now, the redness on her face leaving as she waved a hand. 'Joking, I'm joking!' She pointed at him, 'your face though, it was hilarious!'

'You do realise that you've just laid down a challenge, right?'

'Do you seriously think that you could beat me?' She asked, smirking at him. 'Number one, I'm the one here with magic, and two, you could never beat me.'

'We'll see,' Emerald said, a smirk on his face. 'So what do you want, anyway?'

'I've been told to tell you that if you want to eat, then you'd better come down. No one's bothered to go in the shower yet, however,' Tonks looked Emerald up and down, a faint blush on her face. 'However, seeing as you're only wearing boxers, I highly doubt that you should go downstairs. Not unless you want to cause a riot amongst the younger female population in the house, and cause Mrs Weasley to have a fit.'

Emerald shrugged. 'Fine then, where's the shower in this place?'

'Downstairs one floor, take a right, go forward two doors and then turn left again. You'll see it there.' As Tonks made to leave, she stopped suddenly. 'Oh, by the way. If your thinking of trying to escape, I wouldn't advise it. The door is warded to make sure that you can't leave, and basically, we're going to be keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't leave.'

'Bitch,' Emerald spat.

Tonks looked taken aback for a second, before her eyes became hard. 'Yeah, maybe I am. But you're needed for the war, Dumbledore says so.'

'So if Dumbledore told you to strip off your robes and get on your knees and play with his...well, shall we call it a snake, you would?'

'Fuck off!'

'Ladies first.'

Tonks glared at him, storming out of the room, slamming the door shut. Emerald just shook his head. 'Women.'

In the kitchen, pretty much everyone who didn't have anything to do was assembled in the kitchen, eating food. The three teenagers were in their pyjamas, as was Sirius, who was beaming at anyone who looked at him. All of a sudden, however, Tonks slammed the door open, sitting herself down with a dangerous look on her face. Sirius and Remus looked at each other nervously, both of whom had bribed Tonks to go upstairs to collect Harry. After Sirius had glared at Remus into asking, Remus coughed nervously, getting Tonks' attention.

'Um, Tonks? Is everything alright?'

Tonks glared at Remus. 'Harry Potter, is by far the most repugnant, ignorant and irritating person who I've ever had the misfortune to meet.'

'So a fun trip then?' Sirius called out, cheerfully.

'Shut up Sirius.'

'Well, what happened?' Remus said, ignoring Sirius.

'Well, at first, I thought that everything was going alright, he was being funny and a laugh.'

'And then?'

Tonks looked slightly abashed. 'Well, I think what happened next might've been my fault, now I think about it.'

Remus sighed, rubbing his face with a hand. 'What did you do?'

'I...I kinda told him that there was no point in running off, because we were watching him.'

'And you didn't expect him to react?'

'I didn't mean it in an aggressive way!'

'How many other ways are there?!'

All of a sudden, Emerald strode through the door, pulling up a chair at the table, completely ignoring everyone there. He grabbed a muffin, before leaning back on his chair and picked at the muffin idly.

'Um, Harry?' Sirius ventured.

Emerald ignored him.

'Harry!'

Emerald continued to ignore him.

'Emerald!' Tonks yelled at him.

Emerald looked in her direction. 'Yes?'

'Sirius wants to talk to you.'

'Oh? Does he? I didn't notice, seeing as he didn't use my _name_.'

'You already have a name!' Sirius said hotly. 'One that James and Lily gave you.'

Emerald looked around the room. 'Hmm, I don't seem to see them, do you?'

'Why you –' Sirius scrambled to his feet, only to be dragged back down by Lupin.

'Don't rise to it, Sirius.' He hissed in Sirius' mouth. Sirius gave way with bad grace, glaring at Emerald.

Remus turned to Emerald. 'So, Emerald. You know that you'll be going to Hogwarts in a few days.'

'Not if I have a fucking thing to say about it,' Emerald muttered.

Remus continued as though Emerald hadn't said anything. 'And so, you'll be going shopping for your school supplies in Diagon Alley, the wizarding market for pretty much anything a wizard needs.'

Emerald looked up. 'Do they sell anything decent?'

'When you say decent, do you mean Muggle or Wizard stuff?' Remus asked warily.

'Well, stuff like an i-pod or something. I assume that I've got some money somewhere, otherwise I wouldn't be able to buy any of my stuff.'

'Unfortunately, Emerald, Hogwarts is very much soaked in magic.'

'Yeah...so...?' Emerald was looking slightly irritated now.

'So magic doesn't work with electricity.'

Emerald looked blank for a few seconds, before shock came on his face. 'What?'

'Electricity doesn't work at Hogwarts.'

'But...but that would mean...you don't have TV's?

'No.'

'Compuctors?'

'No.'

'Internet?'

'No.'

'Oh my fucking God,' Emerald moaned to the disapproval of most of the room. 'I can't believe I'm stuck in a place where everything's completely retarded.'

'Hey,' Hermione interjected. 'The wizarding world isn't that bad. It's got a lot of stuff that makes up for it.'

'Oh please,' Emerald moaned. 'You've seriously got nothing on the Muggle world. Christ, why did you all fucking bring me here when I didn't want to be.' He got up, grabbing another muffin before going back upstairs.

'We'll be leaving in an hour!' Remus called up to Emerald, who didn't bother replying. He sat back down with another sigh, his head in his arms.

'Well, that went well.' Sirius remarked.

'Shut up Sirius.'

------------------------------

Emerald found himself thrown out of a fireplace, groaning as he landed on his knees, probably helping to ruin his already slightly-tattered jeans. He looked at them ruefully, getting up before the next person could land on top of him. 'Why the fuck does this always happen to me?' He moaned slightly, brushing at his jeans. Various other people who had flooed to the official floo-area moved away from him slightly, looking fearfully at his tattoo and demeanour. He took in Diagon Alley, seeing what looked like a once-prosperous place.

Arthur Weasley, the husband of Molly and the father to the two red-heads took hold of Emerald's arm gingerly. 'It didn't use to be like this, you know.' He said, gesturing to the street. 'It used to be such a vibrant and happy place. There certainly would've been more people here, anyhow.'

The place that Arthur was gesturing to was a large street, surrounded by vendors selling various trinkets and protective items. Many other shops were boarded up, and others had at least one fearful looking customer hurrying out of the shop.

'Right then, Harry.'

'Emerald,' he growled.

'My apologies, Emerald. The Order will have already picked up your stuff. We'll just be going to the bank and to Ollivander's to pick up your wand.'

'Where are we going first then?'

'To Gringotts, the wizarding bank.'

'Then what the hell are we waiting for?'

Arthur smiled indulgingly, before walking in front of Emerald towards a large marble building. He passed several cloaked figures, walking past him quickly, and several others who although not in uniform, moved together fluidly like water through pebbles. Arthur pointed them out. 'Hit-wizards,' he said softly. 'They were recruited by the Ministry around a few years back when the number of Auror's was at an all-time low.'

'Why was that?'

'You-know-who's lot were recruiting a lot faster than the Aurors were, and they were killing more than could be recruited. The Aurors are basically meant to be the protectors of the wizarding world, but even the most elite can be taken down by five wands to one.'

Emerald and Arthur then passed through the large double doors of the large marble building. Two bored looking wizards waved a large ball on what looked like a fishing rod over the two of them, before nodding to let the two of the through. He looked at it in curiosity. 'What are they meant to be?' He couldn't help but like the red-headed man. He was quite cheerful, and seemed to sympathise with Emerald's position, not making a fuss of his tattoo or language, but just taking it in his stride.

As soon as they entered the bank, Emerald halted, his mouth open. Arthur stopped walking, looking at Emerald in concern.

'Emerald?'

'Um, why are there little green Oompa-Loompas at the desks serving humans?'

'Oompa-Loompas?'

'Those little green creatures.'

'Arthur looked blank for a second, before his face cleared. 'Oh...I understand now. You're talking about the Goblins. Yes, they've served our people for many centuries now. Of course, they don't like it. It's an unfortunate fact of life that us Wizards see ourselves as being better than other kinds of species, Goblins and Muggles included. Despite the fact that we couldn't do anything without them, they're treated rather badly by wizards. Sad thing really, but the little blighters are actually quite bloodthirsty. They've engaged in several wars with us in the past, quite messy ones too.'

'Cool,' Emerald said with glee.

As they approached the nearest Goblin at a desk, Arthur pulled out a key.

The Goblin looked up at them. 'Yes?'

'We'd like to access Mr. Potter's vault, please.' Arthur said in a low voice.

'My name's Emerald.' He hissed to Arthur.

'Not to the Goblins, and certainly not to your bank account, Emerald.'

'Key please.' The Goblin said, ignoring Emerald and Arthur's hushed conversation.

Arthur handed the key over to the Goblin, who examined it carefully before it nodded. 'Very well.' It waved over a Goblin to them. 'Take Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley to Mr. Potter's vault, Griphook.' The Goblin nodded, beckoning the two humans to follow it. The Goblin at the desk made to hand over the key to Arthur, but Emerald took it first.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same. 'Take care of your key, Emerald. Without it, you'll be hard-pressed to live on nothing.'

After following Griphook, they ended up in a cart that suddenly went off quickly down a large area of tracks. Emerald whooped with pleasure as they went faster and faster, before it finally came to a stop. 'Vault 712,' Griphook said pompously. Arthur got off of the cart, followed by Emerald and Griphook. Arthur stopped outside of a large door, where a sign saying _712 _was by the side of it. Griphook ran a finger down the door's side, where it opened slowly, green smoke moving out of it.

At Arthur's nod of encouragement, Emerald hesitatingly walked through the door, where he stopped suddenly, staring at the huge piles of gold, silver and copper. 'Oh my fucking God,' Emerald said, awe stricken. There were stacks and stacks of money everywhere, Emerald just stared at it all, Arthur coming up beside him.

'I must say,' Arthur said admiringly. 'You've certainly been left a lot of gold by your parents.' He sighed deeply. 'It's a shame though that they died, gold or no gold.' He handed Emerald a bag. 'It has a enlargening charm upon it, so you'll be able to fit in a lot of gold.' Emerald grinned as he poured a large amount of money inside of the bag, filling it up to the brim. Once Emerald had finished, Arthur smiled at him. 'Got enough there, do you think Emerald?' At Emerald's nod, Arthur smiled. 'Right then, off to Ollivanders!'

After a few more minutes of walking, Emerald and Arthur finally made it to outside of a small derelict building that boasted _Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC_. Inside, they were met by a small man who was at the desk, casually reading through a newspaper. He looked up in surprise as the door went, smiling at the sight of Arthur.

'Well, well, Arthur Weasley. I remember you well, an Oak wand with a Dodo feather. A nice wand suited to charms, I believe. And who is this, may I ask? He certainly doesn't look like a Weasley.'

'This is –'

'Emerald.' Emerald interupted Arthur.

'Emerald,' Ollivander said thoughtfully. 'May I ask who your parents were?'

'No, you may not.'

Ollivander looked a little troubled by Emerald's refusal, but let it go anyway. 'Very well then, which is your wand hand?'

'My...what?'

'Writing hand,' Arthur whispered.

'Oh right, right then.'

'Which one?'

'My right hand, are you deaf?'

'My apologies, Emerald.' Ollivander said stiffly. 'Let's try you for a wand then, shall we?'

What followed was at least half an hour's worth of wand searching, with Ollivander pressing wand after wand into Emerald's hand before he finally stopped.

'I wonder...' Ollivander said thoughtfully. He turned around and pulled out a box before he returned to Emerald. 'This wand is a very special wand, Emerald. It has a brother with a lot of history, and it can do many great things, whether for good or for bad.' He opened the box, revealing a wand. 'This, Emerald, is a Holly wand with a Phoenix feather for a core.' Emerald felt Arthur lean forward, his eyes unusually excited at the wand. He felt his hackles rise slightly in warning that something was up. Ollivander held the wand in front of him. 'Take the wand, Emerald.'

Hesitantly, Emerald took hold of the wand, suddenly feeling a great rush of warmth and energy spread through him. The tip of the wand erupted with light and Emerald gasped involuntarily, his eyes dimming slightly as the light diminished and the warmth left him, even though he held the wand still.

'Wel'll take it,' Arthur was saying, and Ollivander was pulling out a bag.

'No, stop.' Emerald gasped.

The two men stopped in confusion. 'Is there something the matter, Emerald?' Arthur asked hesitantly.

'Yes, I don't want this particular wand.'

'Emerald,' Ollivander said. 'I'm afraid that it's not the wizard who chooses, but the wand that does.'

'Well find me another wand that accepts me then.'

'But this wand has accepted you.'

'And I don't want this particular wand, so get giving me other wands, or I'll find my business elsewhere.'

Exchanging a weary look with Arthur, Ollivander put the wand back in its place, and got back to searching for another wand. Finally, Emerald found another wand.

'This wand is an Acorn wand, very unusual if I say so myself. Its animal is a thestral feather from its wing, very unusual indeed. I never expected this one to be sold to anyone.' He leaned forward. 'Emerald, this wand isn't as fully accepting of you as was the Phoenix wand. Now, this one is suited to you, but it will never be as fully attuned to you as it could be. Now, this is going to probably affect you for the rest of your life, as I can make no guarantees that that wand will remain in my care for ever. It may be passed onto another wand-maker, and not be seen again by our eyes for the rest of our lives. So, the choice is up to you. Will you choose the Acorn wand, or will you choose the Phoenix wand?'

Emerald took a few seconds, before he answered. 'The acorn wand.'

He mentally felt Arthur slump slightly, before recovering, walking forward with a smile that seemed slightly too forced. 'Excellent then, Ollivander, if you could wrap it up for us, and...I assume the price is ten galleons still?'

'You would be correct, Mr. Weasley.'

Arthur counted out ten large gold galleons, handing them over to Ollivander, who handed back the box with the wand in it over to Emerald, who pocketed it. He smiled at Ollivander. 'A pleasure, Ollivander.' He gave a small wave behind him as both he and Arthur left the shop.

Behind them, Ollivander shook his head.

'There's going to be trouble...'

**Hey guys, well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Nothing really big in this chapter, although you've just seen the first part of Emerald's determination to defeat Dumble's plans for him.**

**So, read and review, and most of all, enjoy!**

**From Kaeim**


	10. Welcome to Hogwarts!

**Welcome to Hogwarts, Mr Pot – Emerald!!!**

'Wingardium Leviosa.' Emerald said without emotion.

'Come on, Potter.' Snape snapped, his patience clearly at an end. 'Use some emotion, for Merlin's sake. Do you think the Dark Lord is going to wait patiently while you look through your books and attempt to practice them?'

Emerald rolled his eyes wearily. 'I somehow doubt that. Unless he's a retard. But hey, you'd know if he was a retard, seeing as he's your lord and master. So, Snapey old boy, is old Voldy a 'tard?'

Snape clearly gritted his teeth. 'Show some damned respect, for Merlin's sake, Potter! It's an attitude like that that'll get you killed.'

'You do realise that my name isn't "Potter". Hell, it may be a lot better than everyone going around saying "Harry, my boy", or "Harry Potter, the saviour!", but seriously, it's getting old now. Speaking of old, how old are you? I mean, I can see a grey hair or two appearing already. Admittedly, it's quite hard to tell through the grease that makes up your hair, but if you concentrate hard, you can just see it.'

Snape growled, one side of his face ticking as he stared at the amused looking boy in front of him, who languished luxuriously on a chair in front of him, idly holding his newly purchased wand in his hand. Emerald raised an eyebrow at the tick, looking at it in mild interest. 'Say there, Snapey, that's an interesting problem you've got there. I hate to tell you this, but it doesn't do you any favour with the ladies.'

'Cruc –!' Snape stopped himself just in time, glaring with hatred at Emerald, who winked at him.

'Temper temper, Snapey old boy.'

'That's it!' Snape screamed with anger, storming out of the room, his robes wishing behind him as he stormed out of the room.

Emerald sighed with obvious sadness. 'Another one bites the dust,' he remarked casually.

On the stairs outside of the room, Ron, Hermione and Ginny rushed eagerly to the stairs to watch Snape slam the door behind him, leaving a smirking Ginny, who held out her hand as Ron put a sickle in her hand. 'And that makes twelve sickles all together, Ron. So what do you have to say for yourself?'

Ron shook his head ruefully. 'I never thought that he could break Snape.'

Ginny smirked wickedly. 'Apparently he can. Hermione, how many people is that now?'

'That makes Tonks, Kingsley, Hestia Jones and Snape.'

Ron whistled. 'He may look like a filthy snake, but he has some guts. I mean, to piss off Snape...'

'Suicide.' Ginny grinned. 'I wonder who the next victim's going to be...'

Sirius stood in the kitchen doorway, watching Snape slam the door behind him. He shook his head in amazement as he turned towards Remus. 'Man that kid may be annoying as hell, but he's a damn good Snape ward. What do you think about recruiting him as a bodyguard, Remus?'

'Shut up, Sirius.' Remus said idly, turning another page of the Daily Prophet.

'What?' Sirius protested, looking at Remus in mock hurt. 'I was just saying...'

'If you think you can do a better job than Snape can, then why don't you give it a go, Sirius? You've been complaining of having nothing to do, this seems like something you can attempt at.'

'Yeah,' Sirius said thoughtfully. 'I could give it a shot, at least, couldn't I?'

'So what are you waiting for, Sirius? Go and have a go.'

'Fine, I will.' Sirius said, walking towards the room where four Order members, two of whom were Aurors, had tried and failed to at least get Emerald up to a second year's level, in terms of practical spells anyway.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny watched in amusement as Sirius walked towards where Emerald was currently lounging in plain sight, a leg hanging off of the arm of the chair. Sirius visibly slowed down for a second, before straightening and walking forward into the room, closing the door behind him. Ron turned towards Ginny. 'I'll give it ten minutes,' Ron said.

'Five.'

----------------------------

Emerald looked up lazily as Sirius entered the room. Sirius smiled nervously at Emerald, who in response raised an eyebrow, looking mildly interested. 'Can I help you?'

'Ah,' Sirius started, not knowing where to really start. 'Um, Harry –'

'Emerald.'

'Yes, of course, sorry, Emerald. Right, I was wondering whether you would rather learn magic off of me rather than some old greasy bat.'

'Not particularly.'

Sirius, however, was not troubled, but instead smiled at him. 'Now, I did think that you would say that, which is why I prepared accordingly.' Unbeknownst, to Sirius, Emerald's hand slid into his pocket, where his gun still was. No one had bothered to ask Emerald to give it back after the zombie attack, and so Emerald chose to keep it. Sirius reached into his pocket, causing Emerald to grip his weapon, pulling it out slightly. Suddenly, his grip relaxed as Sirius pulled out, to what Emerald could admit to be surprised, a packet of cigarettes.

'My oh my,' Emerald said softly. 'Sirius, is this a _bribe_?'

Sirius smiled at him. 'I prefer the word...incentive.'

'Yes, I'm sure you would. But what makes you think that I even smoke?'

'I don't. However, and don't forget this is a pure guess, but, you, Emerald, are a guy whose basically been living without rules or restrictions, free to do whatever you want. Now, you've been forced into a dusty old house where the expectations of many, many people are on you. You're unable to drink or go out, so I have little doubt you're extremely bored. This is where I come in. Now, I want to help you Emerald. If you go to Hogwarts the way you are now, you're basically going to be laughed out of the school. Because you're magical power and knowledge is pathetic, I'm going to offer you an incentive. For every successful spell that you pass, I will provide you with a cigarette. If you manage to complete an extremely complicated spell, you get alcohol.'

'What kind of alcohol?'

'Firewhiskey.'

'Sod off, I'm not drinking any of your shitty drinks. I want the hardcore stuff, whisky, beer, hell, I'll even drink rum if it means I'll get pissed. You wizards are seriously weak as far as I'm concerned.'

'So that makes our alcohol weak?'

'Duh!'

'Right, one of these days, you will sit down and drink firewhiskey, even if I have to force you. Then we'll see just how cocky you still are.'

Emerald raised an eyebrow, smirking at him. 'You know, you may just turn out to be the only half decent person in this bloody lot.'

Sirius grinned back. 'Without a goddamn doubt I am.'

Emerald leant back. 'Shall we get to teaching then?'

'Yes, lets...'

-----------------------

Snape stormed up through the castle, through the ancient hallways of Hogwarts, passing various frightened looking house-elves who stood to one side as Snape passed them, not willing to get between him and his infamous rages. He stormed to the guarding gargoyle, snarling the password at it before storming up the staircase. Dumbledore sat in his office, watching the door, an amused smile on his face as Snape shoved the door open, glaring at Dumbledore.

'Ah, Severus.' Dumbledore started calmly, holding out a tin. 'Lemon drop?'

'No I would not like a damned lemon drop!' Snape yelled at the headmaster, before leaning back, his face full of anger and half regret.

'Is there, something the matter?' Dumbledore enquired calmly, popping a lemon drop into his mouth.

'Potter.' Snape growled.

'Ah yes, the infamous "Emerald".' Dumbledore said. 'And what, may I ask, has he done this time?'

'He's like his damned father, that's what!'

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. 'Really? Emerald is like James Potter? I must say, the James I knew is much different from the James you apparently knew. For one thing, James wasn't as aggressive.'

'I beg to differ,' Snape said, an angry look on his face. 'You never had to put up with them throughout all of your school years.'

'Am I under the impression that James Potter fired a gun at you?'

'No, he just sent a werewolf at me.'

'An experience I hope to never encounter.'

The two men remained in a silence for several minutes, each lost in their thoughts. Finally, Snape looked up. 'He's not Lily's son.' He said in a bitter voice. 'I...I had hoped that I wouldn't see James in him at all, but...oh, I don't know. The only thing that reminds me of her is her eyes, and even they are shaped by James Potter...' He slumped in his chair slightly. 'I don't know,' he said sadly. 'Why did I ever bother in the first place with that bloody creature? I ruined everything I ever had with her, all for a madman!'

'We all make mistakes,' Dumbledore said, quietly. Snape waved his words off dismissively.

'Serving that man is not a mistake. Taking his mark is not a mistake. I'll tell you what it was, it was _insanity_. I have wasted the greater part of my life serving him, when I could have been doing something worthwhile with my life instead!'

'We all make mistakes, Severus. What really matters is how we get past them.' He stood up, stretching himself slightly. 'So then, Severus, what seems to be the problem with Emerald?'

Severus sighed, rubbing his face. 'He's insolent, cocky, an idiot and generally being an abomination upon this earth. In short, he's a _Potter_.'

Dumbledore looked at Snape sadly. 'Tell me, Severus, in your honest opinion, do you believe that this boy is the Chosen One?'

Snape shrugged. 'To be quite honest, Dumbledore, I've never believed in prophecies. I dislike the idea of mankind being unable to have free will. I don't know what'll happen. Maybe Potter will defeat the Dark Lord, maybe he won't. Either way, the only real thing that we can do is to fight for what we believe in.'

'And what do you believe in, Severus?'

'Peace.'

Dumbledore smiled. 'Ah yes, _peace_. A worthy goal to fight for, is it not? The chances to simply watch life go past you without fear of violence or hatred? It is a magnificent thing to hope for.'

'I doubt that I will ever see it in my lifetime.'

Dumbledore's head bowed. 'You should not be so pessimistic, Severus. None of us can truly tell the future. No prophecy is ever written in stone. However, this prophecy represents the best chance that the Light Side has for victory, and for achieving peace.'

Severus smiled bitterly. 'Love hasn't saved anybody, Dumbledore.'

'You have your opinions, Severus, just as I have mine.'

The two men stayed sat in their seats, a silence falling over the two of them, each of them with immense pressure held over them in their own way.

--------------------------------

Around four days later, Emerald found himself, along with the others, at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. There were a huge crowd of people there already, talking to their parents and school friends. Quite a lot of people looked at him as well. Today, Emerald had forgone his usual cloak that covered him up. He allowed his full features to show. What amused him most though was the amount of looks he was generating from the girls at the station. Nearly all of them were interested. Something told him that this was going to be a good school if all the girls were like this.

Flanking him were two people (who he assumed) who were in the Order, namely Tonks and a big black guy, who looked like he could handle himself in a fight. Behind him were Hermione, Ron and Ginny. Emerald sneered at the thought of them. He remembered the conversations that had been held about him earlier on, if they thought that he was going to reduce himself to becoming friends with those people, then they had another thing coming. Not only was Ron filled with jealousy over Emerald, but Hermione herself was an irritable know-it-all. While he appreciated their usefulness in some cases, he knew that unless you could apply that knowledge, it was worthless.

Finally, after getting on the train, the trio dumped their trunks in the corner of the compartment and sat down, pointedly ignoring him. Emerald smirked, like that was going to bother him. The silence was starting to bother him though. He felt frustrated, bored. Normally he'd be up to something with one of the gang members.

After around five minutes of this, the train still hadn't taken off, and the people inside of the compartment were all still silent. Emerald groaned in boredom and stood up, getting the attention of everyone.

'Where are you going?' Ron asked, hostility in his voice.

Emerald ignored him and just walked out, grabbing his trunk that had been made feather-light, curtsey of Tonks. He wanted to find an empty compartment, somewhere where he could be alone, hopefully in a more private setting. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't guaranteed as when he passed the wizards and witches, they either stared at him in amazement, lust, jealousy or just outright hostility.

Finally, finding an empty compartment, he dumped his trunk in the room, sat down, put his legs up and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, smirking in satisfaction as he lit it and inhaled its smoke. He would probably regret it in the long one, but hey, maybe it would piss off the wizards. Then it would be definitely worth it.

Sirius, after spending the majority of those four days with him, had caused him to quickly learn about spells. Who would've thought the rewards of being given alcohol and fags would cause him to learn quickly? They should introduce that in every school, results would skyrocket! As of now, Emerald currently had six packets of cigarettes and two bottles of vodka with a case of beer. Sirius had managed to get Dumbledore to send him reports of how Emerald would do in class, and for every decent result, he would receive cigarettes and alcohol.

But still, that was a problem that he would face later. For now, he was content to just strum his guitar, play familiar songs that he used to play at concerts, and dream about his home and his friends. He remembered various fights, gang wars, shootouts, loves, friends, sex, parties; he remembered the life he used to lead. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized how much hatred he now felt for Dumbledore. The man would pay, one day.

---

Well, Emerald thought, the train was certainly a disappointment. He'd managed to get his peace and quiet, that was true, but in return he'd received at least half of the school passing his compartment, and another three quarters of that half going back for another look. Emerald wasn't unused to attention, but this was just pathetic now. If he was getting all this attention now, just imagine what it'll be like when Dumbledore informs the entire school of my title and my "name". Is it so hard for him to just use his name that he'd been brought up in? Emerald! It's not a hard word, Em-er-ald. Even a bloody baby could say that! Well, if it was a genius baby, anyway...

He had then been stuck on some crappy boat, having been basically dragged over there by a massive giant of a man, had his hand shaken reverently by him, received a strange look at his tattoo because of it and had been forced into a boat with three first year students, all of whom looked at him in fear. It was enough to drive anyone crazy!

And now, while everyone else had gone inside what he had heard that teacher, McGonagall, call the first years into the Great Hall to get Sorted, he had been informed to wait outside, and had also received a very disapproving eye from McGonagall as well for the clothes he was wearing.

Actually, he couldn't blame her on that point. But he may as well have got the message out, robes were absolutely shite! Especially on girls, as it covered up their bodies. There was no way that he was wearing one. So, he decided to wear his own clothing.

Finally, he heard Dumbledore standing up; this was his "big moment".

'And now, my dear students, I have several announcements to make to you. Firstly, as we all know, the forbidden forest is precisely that, forbidden. A list of banned items can be found on Mr. Filch's door. And sadly, Quidditch will not be taking place this year.

A large noise broke out, mostly filled with questions and moaning. Emerald rolled his eyes, what the hell was Quidditch?

'If you could all remain silence!' Dumbledore called out, causing the room instantly became silent. Emerald rolled his eyes.

'Instead of Quidditch, a very special event will be taking place this year in October next month. I am pleased to announce that we have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event which has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.'

At that, there was a massive explosion of noise. From what Emerald could tell from standing outside of the doorway, he believed that Dumbledore allowed the noise to continue for at least several minutes. Emerald shook his head in disgust, leading a gang had taught him several skills. Firstly, you couldn't allow noise unless they had a decent point. It appeared that there was no discipline whatsoever in the school.

Finally, 'Silence!' Dumbledore cried out. Again, complete silence. Maybe Dumbledore did have some ideas of leadership, but even so, Emerald could hear some lowered conversations going on between various students. Dumbledore really needed to get some lessons in leading.

'Now, I have one more very, very important announcement. It has been fifteen years since the first defeat of Lord Voldemort. Unfortunately, as many of us have discovered to our great misfortunes, he returned three years ago. However, we still remember the ten year peace we had in between those times. And it was all thanks to one person. Lost for those fifteen years, we had feared that we would never find that person. However, I can now inform you that we have found him. I would like to announce the return of, Harry, Potter!'

Emerald waited. He would not budge until he had his real name. He assumed that he had been meant to go through the door at that point. He folded his arms and waited for his true name to be announced instead.

'Harry Potter!'

Nope, he was still going to wait.

Harry Potter!' That sentence was now yelled desperately.

Emerald sighed and rolled his eyes, may as well give the man a clue. He raised his hands to his mouth, enhancing the volume of the words.

'Emerald!'

'Harry Potter!'

'Emerald!'

'Harry Potter!'

'Emerald!'

'Harr- oh forget it. Emerald.' The last sentence was said dejectedly.

Emerald smirked and walked through the doors. A shocked silence hit the hall immediately as he walked through up to where the Headmaster was standing along with McGonagall and some weird old hat. He raised an eyebrow as he noted the huge stares coming his way. Okay, this was getting pretty weird now.

Suddenly, he noticed two girls sitting on a bench who were staring at him, dumbstruck. Emerald felt his own face do the same, and he halted in the middle of the hall. Lavender and Parvati! He blinked at them, before shaking his head in mild disbelief.

'Mr. Potter, if you could please come and sit on the stool.'

Emerald broke off from his conversation, glaring at McGonagall. 'Ok, for the benefit of everyone here, do not call me Harry, Potter, Potty, Hazza or any abbreviations on that name. You will call me Emerald. Failure to comply will result in pain. Not just any pain, but mega pain.'

He walked up to the stool, sitting down and suddenly felt a hat put on his head. Instantly, a voice broke out.

'Hmm, difficult, quite difficult. You have a lot of potential, Emerald. I believe that every Founder of the four houses would fight tooth and nail to keep you in their house. You show a great loyalty to your friends and allies, and you'd even die for those that you left behind. You show great cunning and ambition, that is, to take over most of Muggle London. You also show great courage as you have proven yourself many times under fire. And you show great intelligence, as you've put it to good use. Any house would be proud to have you. You've even saved friends, and sadly have put some out of their misery. You have led a very difficult life, Emerald.'

'But in the end, there's only going to be one house that'll suit you,'

The Hat took a deep breath.

'Slytherin!'


	11. Meet the Slytherins

**You-know-who? Seriously, who?**

**Hey guys, listen, I was wondering if anyone could help me with something? I really want to develop the characters of these people, I don't want any one-dimensional characters that appear out of nowhere and then disappear. Nah, I need help in **_**developing **_**them, making them realistic. I don't want any Mary Sues or their male equivalent in my story. So, if anyone's interested in helping, can you PM me? I'll talk to you on , or else on msn and explain what I need help in. Anyway, sit down, shut up and get reviewing.**

But in the end, there's only going to be one house that'll suit you,'

The Hat took a deep breath.

'Slytherin!'

---------

'Well fuck me on a stick,' murmured Emerald, looking at the Great Hall. Nearly every student was staring at him, only a few of whom were clapping. He glanced left and right, wondering where the fuck was Slytherin? Suddenly, His eyes landed on an image of a snake, underneath which members of the snake house sat underneath. He glanced towards the other houses, then back to them. Well, they may not be his house, but at least they have his favourite kind of animal. He stood up, chucking the Hat idly onto the stool and wandered over to them.

Halfway there, the Hall seemed to wake up and the students started to clap half-heartedly. Emerald rolled his eyes at the claps, but continued on his way to the table. He glanced at a blond-haired boy, looking him up and down. He was obviously a posh lad. His hair was un-rumpled, and looked as though it had been heavily gelled down, if it hadn't been for the fact there was no telltale shine to his hair, he would've placed a bet on it.

'Move up,' he said. The boy glared at him, but moved up anyway. Emerald sat himself down at the table, sighing with boredom as he watched the foodless platters. He wondered whether they had been fed yet.

'Well,' Dumbledore suddenly said from the table at the back of the hall. Emerald idly looked over there, giving the people there a once-over. 'Now that we have all finished with the Sorting, I only have two words to say to you. _Tuck in_.'

Emerald raised his eyebrows? Well, that certainly added a few points in Emerald's current theory that Dumbledore was crazy. However, when he turned around, his mouth opened slightly as he took in the huge amount of food that just appeared out of nowhere. 'Hmm,' Emerald muttered. 'At least the service isn't bad. However, as for the food choices...' He grimaced at the food in front of him. Suddenly, in front of Emerald appeared entire plates, platters and bowls full of food. Roast beef, roast chicken, sausages, pork chops, steak and kidney pudding, steak and kidney pie, black pudding for the meet. Roast potatoes, jacket potatoes, boiled and mashed, chips, Yorkshire pudding all that kind of food. There wasn't much in vegetables, as all that Emerald could see were sprouts, carrots and peas. He grimaced at the clearly unhealthy and high cholesterol food that was present. Had they never heard of vegetarian meals? If he wanted to keep up his exercise, then it looked like Emerald was going to have to work out a lot more than he had been doing recently.

He sighed as he took a jacket potato, grabbing some grated cheese and poured it on top of the potato generously. He took a bit, closing his eyes slightly as he chewed on the delicious meal. Somehow, these wizards had managed to do something decent with their magic, creating a food that appealed directly to your taste buds. The food may be unhealthy as hell, but at least it tasted good. Shame that would just encourage you to eat more and more of it of course. It was a wonder there were no fat kids actually present in the Great Hall.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore looked at Snape, his face concerned as he waved a hand in front of Snape's face. Snape didn't react, not blinking. Was he even breathing? 'Poppy?' Dumbledore said, concerned, quickly putting a cushioning charm at the floor just behind Snape's chair. It was a lucky thing that Dumbledore had the foresight to do this as well, which was proven when Snape and the chair fell back, Severus obviously in deep shock at having a Potter in his house.

'Oh, Merlin help me...' Dumbledore muttered, checking to see if any of the students had noticed. None of them had, luckily for Snape, however, most of the teachers had, and judging from the looks of several of them, a lot of personal pensives would be filled up tonight with tonight's particular memory.

Emerald finally finished his jacket potato, after indulging himself in yet another potato. He was going to regret that in the morning... Rubbing his eyes and ignoring all the stares that he was receiving from Slytherin House, he got up and walked towards the Gryffindor table. He was going to need a word with those two girls.

As he walked across the Hall, he gained a lot of attention, mainly from the students, who had never before in their school life had seen a Slytherin voluntarily walk over to the Gryffindor table, unless, of course, it was to start trouble. Hoping to see a fight, they nudged their friends and pointed in the direction of Emerald. As he drew closer to Lavender and Parvati, the two girls who had been whispering in each other's ears saw where the looks of their fellow Gryffindor's on the opposite end of the table to them, and turned around themselves to see Emerald coming towards them.

Their faces changed from uncertainty, to a pleased look, to a curious look. Both of them moved to their sides to create a space in the middle of the pair so that Emerald could sit down next to them both. As Emerald sat between them both, they grinned at him, causing him to grin back.

'So then, you're both witches. I gotta say, that's certainly unusual for me. In fact, I don't think I've ever dated a witch before, let alone two of them at the same time.'

Parvati flashed him a glare. 'Ha, bloody, ha. What the hell are you doing here, Emerald? And how are you Harry Potter?'

'Well, it's actually quite a story. Apparently Dumbles up there couldn't leave me alone for "the Greater Good" and proceeded to kidnap me because he wanted to use me as Propaganda against Lord what's-his-name? I forget. Anyways, basically I'm being forced to come here, being dragged out of the only world I know kicking and screaming into a whole new world where I'm constantly being stared at and basically, I don't know anyone except you two. So, guess what? You've just won the lucky prize of having me come around with you two.' He grinned at them mischievously.

'Well, how can we ever say no to a pretty face like that then?' Lavender grinned, her mind obviously coming up with something. 'I'm pretty sure we can find some things to do to pass the time.'

'Yeah, maybe beat up people, threaten bouncers, all that kind of thing, eh Emerald?' Parvati smirked at him.

'You got it in one, Parv.'

The three of them burst out laughing, watched by most of the students in the Great Hall. Once they'd calmed down, Emerald had some questions for the pair.

'So what is there to do around here? Any decent nightclubs? Bands?'

Parvati and Lavender looked uneasy. 'Actually, I've found that the Wizarding world is really dull.' Lavender said. 'While we're in school, there are no places like that around here. There is a town that third year students and above can go to every two weeks, so that's alright.'

Emerald gulped nervously. 'Please tell me that there's a decent nightlife around here.'

The two of them shook their heads sadly. Emerald froze, before he groaned. 'Why the hell did I have to come here? What god did I upset, or what did I do in my past life that was so bad?'

'I don't know, knowing you though, you were probably a gang member and did all kinds of stuff.'

'Yeah, you're probably right.' Emerald sighed, not realising that Parvati was joking. 'So then, how come you two didn't tell me? It's not like I would burn you at the stake or anything.'

'Well, that's kinda the problem. Wizards treat Muggles, people without magical ability, like dirt. They made all these laws restricting Wizard and Muggle access between each other, which includes the Statues of Wizarding Secrecy. Basically, we can't tell you anything about the Wizarding world unless we did something like marry you or something. But, let's face it, your hardly marriage material, are you?'

'I'm hurt, I truly am.' Emerald said dryly, causing the two girls to giggle.

'So then, you're a slimy Slytherin?'

'Looks like, I don't really understand the House systems though, so I don't really see the big deal.'

'Well, it kinda is a big deal to Wizards who go here. Basically, the Sorting Hat takes your abilities and character and sorts you into the House that sorts you best. For example, us, Gryffindors, we're braver than anything else. Hufflepuff,' Lavender pointed to a banner above a table that was yellow. 'They're known for being really loyal to their friends, and are hard working. Ravenclaw,' she pointed to another table that were dressed in blue colours. 'They're known for their book-smarts. Parvati's twin sister is in Ravenclaw, so make sure you don't confuse the two otherwise you'll have an angry Gryffindor after you. And of course, there's Slytherin. Known for their cunning and ambition.'

'Also known for being Dark Lords and Death Eater scum!' An angry voice said. The three of them looked up to see Ron Weasley sitting just a few rows below from them.

'You got a problem, Weasley?' Emerald said coldly, instantly regaining the attention of most of the Great Hall that had allowed their attention to reluctantly drift from Emerald when no signs of any trouble-making were going on.

'Yeah, I got a problem.'

'Is it the size of your manhood? Because, I got to tell you Weasley, it isn't normal for a guy to have so little down there.'

Ron turned instantly red. 'Why you-'

'Gorgeous hunk of a man? Why thank you, although I'm afraid I don't bend your way.'

Ron growled with anger.

'Is there something wrong with your throat? Maybe you'd better go see the school nurse, give you some cough drops.'

'Sod off you filthy Slytherin.'

Emerald looked up and down himself in mock-shock. 'Why Weasley, your right, I am a Slytherin! But filthy, well, not so much as you Weasley. Have you ever considered trying to eat properly? As in, using a plate rather than your robe?' Emerald's eyes looked up and down at the food splattered robe that Ron wore. He instantly flushed.

Emerald smirked at Ron before he turned back to the two girls. 'So as I was saying-'

Emerald suddenly found the back of his shirt being pulled on and he found himself thrown to the floor. Ron stood above him, a triumphant look on his face. As Emerald stood up, his face completely blank, Ron started to boast as he turned towards the Gryffindor table. 'Yeah, not so hard now are you, Potter?'

BAM!

Ron suddenly found his nose broken and bleeding everywhere. Emerald stood above him.

'Lesson one, Weasley. Never turn away from ouse that suits your abiliyour opponent. Lesson two, whenever you're on the ground; make sure you keep your weak points protected. Already, you have failed Lesson two already. For example,' he kicked the boy in the groin. 'And another example, he kicked him in the throat, causing him to retch dryly.

'Mr. Potter!' A shrieking voice cried out from the Teacher's table as McGonagall hurried over to them. 'Yes, problem?'

'Detention for the next month with me!'

'Yeah, I'm going to be busy on those days. Maybe we should reschedule, possibly when I've left school. I'll get my diary, you get your diary, we'll compare days in which we're free, and then we'll-'

'Silence!' She turned towards the Head table. 'Severus, help me out here.'

Severus stood up, glaring at Ron and Emerald. 'Well, Minerva, I'm afraid that as its Mr. Potter's first day here, I don't see any point. However, the use of force from both people forces me to conclude that they were both guilty. Therefore, I shall be taking ten points off of Mr. Weasley.'

McGonagall spluttered. 'But what about Mr. Potter's blatant assault on Mr. Weasley?'

Severus's face became confused. 'I didn't see anything of the sort. I only saw Mr. Weasley attack our Mr. Potter as he insulted Slytherin House. Mr. Potter was merely trying to defend himself from further assault from Mr. Weasley.' He turned back to Emerald, his eyes narrowed in what appeared to be hatred. Emerald couldn't help but shudder slightly under his stare. 'Mr. Potter, if you could please go sit yourself back down at your designated House.' He turned to go back to the Teacher's table, while McGonagall quickly healed Ron, clearing up the bloody floor. She whispered something in his ear, and Ron nodded glumly as he sat back down at the table, Lavender and Parvati glaring at him in disappointment.

Emerald smirked as he saw the looks on the faces of the students in the Houses. Slytherin's opinion seemed to have especially changed quite a bit. There was approval on the faces of many Slytherin's, and some even had outright admiration. However, other faces remained bitterly hostile. Yes, they were definitely a pack of snakes. And he would become one of their favourites. If they were impressed by that little show with Weasley, then how would they react when he unleashed his full power? He doubted that any Slytherin against him would escape without at least a few bruises and broken bones. And he highly doubted that he would suffer much in return, by either the Slytherins or the Headmaster.

As he sat down in his seat, the blonde-white haired kid came up to Emerald.

'Harry Potter?' He said in a posh voice.

'No, my name is Emerald.'

'Of course, Emerald. My name is Draco Malfoy, and can I just say that you did an excellent job on the Weasel.'

Emerald smirked. 'He'd been asking for it all day.'

'Yes, he does get like that. He's of the weaker families.'

'Yes, if you say so. However, I have no idea what you're on about with families. If you don't know, then I was born in the Muggle world and was raised by Muggles. I know nothing about you and your world, and quite frankly, I don't really care.'

'Hmm, well, I'm afraid that I wouldn't understand your Muggle ways either, but from the looks of things, it appears as though you're outnumbered and have little intelligence on our world. I can help you there.' Draco held out his hand to Emerald.

Emerald stared at it. What should he do? If he wanted to make his time as comfortable as possible, then he'd need to establish his position Slytherin. And while he could probably do that through brute force, there was always other ways. Perhaps this Draco could help him on that road, and if not, well, there was always the possibility of having a minion below him to help. Yes, he had met people like him before. They believed themselves to be better than anyone else, and on occasions they were. However, the majority of them were basically weak. They were easily corrupted and would follow anyone who they believed would make them great. Of course, most of the time once their leader had completed their goal, they would abandon them. Still, if Draco proved useful, he would have a better reputation in Slytherin.

He shook Draco's hand.

------------

In the Slytherin common room, Emerald shuddered. Why, in God's name, did someone decide to choose a dungeon for a bloody common room? Not only was it damp and cold, but it was in a bloody dungeon! How no one else felt the cold, Emerald had no idea, but come on? How was it healthy for a child whose immune systems weren't fully functional yet to spend all their time in a place like this? It was amazing that the whole of Slytherin didn't have colds all the time!

Draco had immediately led Emerald to his "associates", or in Emerald's eyes, toadies. He introduced them all to Emerald.

'Emerald, this is Crabbe,' Ape number 1 grunted. 'Goyle,' Ape number 2 grunted. 'And Pansy.' Ape number three nodded in his direction.'

'So then, Potter.' Pansy said.

'Emerald,' Emerald said automatically.

'Emerald then. Where have you been over the years?'

Emerald shrugged. 'I've been living in London along with friends of mine.'

'In the Muggle world?' Pansy had a look of disgust on her face.

'Yes, in the _Muggle _world.'

Pansy sneered, but didn't say anything else.

'Good fight.' Crabbe grunted.

Emerald raised an eyebrow. 'I assume your talking about me and Weasley.' Crabbe grunted again in confirmation.

'So then, Emerald. Why did you get sorted into Slytherin? I mean, I would've thought that you'd be a Gryffindor.'

Emerald shrugged. 'The Sorting Hat obviously decided that Slytherin was the best House for me. I didn't have a choice in the matter. Besides, I see little difference between the Houses. All that it serves to do is foster enmity and hatred between different members. What kind of society actually encourages that?'

Draco bristled. 'It's served the Wizarding world well enough for hundreds of years!'

Emerald raised an eyebrow. 'And nobody has taken in the consideration that the Wizarding world might have become stagnant in its views and policies? I mean, for God sake, us _Muggles _have become far more advanced than you.'

'But we have wands!'

'And we have guns. Which work well against wizards.'

'And how would you know that?'

'Because I've tried it. And it worked.'

There was a silence in the group as they all looked at Emerald interested.

'What do you mean by it worked?'

'As in our _illustraious _headmaster decided to kidnap me for _the Greater Good_. He had his precious Order come up against me and my friends. They had wands, we had guns. They had spells, we had bullets. We fired, they died. They fired, they knocked us out.'

'Hah-hah! That's exactly the problem then, if they had used killing curses, you would've easily been taken out.'

'Is that so? Tell me, what do you have to do exactly to use the killing curse?'

'Well, you just point the wand their way and say the words for the spell, why?'

'How long would that take, would you say? To do all that?'

Draco hesitated. 'Well, I suppose that it would take around two to five seconds, depending on how experienced you are with the spell, but why?'

'Okay, so you're sticking with a spell that can take up to five seconds to cast. I could use a semi-automatic Muggle pistol that can fire bullets rapidly. In the time that you used to cast your spell, I've could've potentially fired at least three bullets into your body. Another example, a sniper rifle. Some of us Muggles have even managed to get the weapon to aim up to a mile away. In order to use the killing curse, how far would you normally have to be away from your target?'

Draco's face was slightly pale now. 'Well…not far.'

'How far, Draco?

He shrugged. 'Perhaps a few yards at the most? I'm not sure.'

'Exactly Draco. Now, how many wizards and witches would you say there are in England?'

'I suspect that there are around 300,000 Wizards and Witches, of course only around 30,000 of us are worth a damn. Bloody mudbloods.' Draco muttered under his breath.

'So do all of them with wands?'

'I assume so.'

'In Muggle England alone, there are over 50 million of us. And I believe that there're around 10 million of them with weapons. Of course, I'm not taking into account the main weapons such as the Muggle armed forces. And of course, let's not forget about nuclear weapons. So in conclusion, Draco, should every wizard and witch in England go into a battle with the Muggles at once, they'd be pulverized.'

'But, but the Dark Lord will defeat them, he's doing it already!'

'You mean Velvetmort?' He ignored the gasps of shock from the group. 'Well, how many has he killed? An estimate.'

'Well, in just this war alone, I'd say that the Dark Lord and his followers have killed around a thousand Muggles.'

'Well, in the entire Muggle world, not just England, there's one person dying every second. That means that every hour, over 3,600 have died. In a full day, 80,000 have died. But we're not dying out, Draco. Our birth rate is more than our death rate. No matter how many your Dark Lord tries to kill, we're just going to keep expanding. And what happens when the Dark Lord is finally revealed to the Muggles? They're going to go after him, and in the process, they're going to go after the Wizarding world as well. Your Dark Lord is going to spell the end of your Wizarding world.' He looked up and saw a pretty girl who had been sat at the opposite end of the table to him earlier. A brunette girl, who Emerald assumed to be her friend, had just left and had gone up a staircase, leaving her on her own. He turned back to Draco. 'My advice to you lot is to start living. Because if you waste your life with one person, then how are you ever going to live your own life?'

He stood up from his chair and walked towards the girl, ignoring his shocked companions behind him. He hoped that not everyone in Slytherin were like them, otherwise, it was going to be a very boring school year.


	12. Week 1 and the Goblet

**Emerald's first week**

Emerald groaned as he pulled himself out of his bed-chambers. He wasn't used to beds like that. He missed his old bed. It may not have been in the best condition, but it was suited to his purposes. The constant years of sleeping in it had created the perfect imprint that relaxed his body completely. And he certainly wasn't happy having to share with other people.

As usual, he woke up at six in the morning. From what he knew of his conversation with Daphne Greengrass, the girl which whom he spoke to last night, breakfast started at Eight in the morning. That meant that he had an hour and a half to complete his exercises. Grabbing a T-shirt and some trousers, he left the Slytherin common room and left for the outside.

He sighed as he approached the lake. Around it was a large pathway. That would do for today. Just a simple jog all around the lake. As he set off, his mind set to his conversation with Daphne yesterday.

_Flashback_

_Emerald approached the beautiful girl as she sat on a chair, her legs folded underneath her as she skipped through a book. When Emerald sat on the chair next to her own, she raised an eyebrow with curiosity._

'_Yes, Emerald? Can I help you?'_

_Emerald raised his own eyebrow in return to hers. He was slightly surprised that at least someone had listened to him when he asked that he be called Emerald rather than Harry Potter._

'_I just thought I'd talk to you. You caught my interest.'_

'_Oh? And that's new how? I assure you, Emerald; I get plenty of "interest". And while I'll gladly admit that you have some quality on you,' she looked him up and down at that point, her mask remaining intact though. 'It does not mean that I will gladly jump into bed with you at the first chance. I would advise you use a Hufflepuff for that, they're so very amusing to toy with.' She smirked slightly._

'_I wouldn't know, but perhaps I will find that out this term. But enough of Hufflepuffs, I'm more interested in you.'__She smirked as she got off her seat and walked up a staircase. Emerald simply chuckled. He liked this one._

'_What's your name?' He called after her._

_She paused and looked at Emerald, smiling slightly. 'Daphne. Daphne Greengrass.'_

_Emerald grinned as he watched Daphne leave. She looked like quite a laugh. He'd have to get to know her a bit better._

_And he definitely had to find some of those Hufflepuffs..._

_End Flashback_

Emerald suddenly broke off from his job as two pairs of hands grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him into the bush. Two identical twins glared at him with anger in their eyes. Emerald looked them up and down, and smirked as he remembered them as the pair that he had knocked down when he had been kidnapped.

'And what do you two want?'

One of them suddenly punched him in the stomach. Emerald looked at them, amused. How _weak_.

'Was that meant to hurt me?'

The other one suddenly punched Emerald in the mouth. Still no pain whatsoever. Emerald smirked.

'My turn now.'

Emerald suddenly leapt into action, one foot connecting with one twin's shin and a fist with the other twin's eye. Both collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain. Emerald sighed. This was quite pathetic. Emerald had quite enough of this and he let his full rage over having been kidnapped and dragged away from his friends boil over into him.

He snapped.

He started kicking them, punching them. He didn't let off them both for over five minutes. Finally, he stopped, his breath heavy as he looked at the damage done to the two twins. Both their faces were just one big blob of blood. At least three ribs had been broken between them, if not more. And as far as he could tell, one of the twin's had a broken leg. Emerald bent over them.

'You ever try and touch me again, then I promise you, what you just felt now will be nothing compared to what I do. You've seen me with my bare fists; just imagine what I'll be like with a weapon.' He turned on them, dismissively.

Not a bad start to the day.

After leaving the twins to their own devices, Emerald had just gotten back in time before the majority of Slytherin woke up from their beds. Just as he came out of the shower, he met a yawning Draco.

He nodded at Draco. 'Good morning, Draco.'

Draco grunted in a Crabbe and Goyle fashion, so Emerald noted in amusement. He looked nothing like he did yesterday. Gone was the slick, easy-looking Slytherin whose hair was usually perfect. Gone were the perfect features of yesterday. Instead, in front of him was a sleepy-looking ordinary teenager, with bags underneath his eyes and his hair all messed up.

As Draco passed him into the showers and Emerald had gotten dressed in his usual Muggle clothes, he continued downstairs to the common room. Suddenly, he saw Daphne.

'Hey Daphne.'

She looked at him without any emotion. 'What do you want, Emerald? A cheap fuck?'

Emerald raised an eyebrow in surprise, before smirking. 'Ok...a bit random, but, if you're offering I don't see why we shouldn't.'

Her eyes, recently blank suddenly burst into fiery orbs. Her anger was clearly aroused. 'Is that what you see me as, Emerald? A fuck toy? Just like every other fucking male in this school? I'm not anyone's toy, Emerald. I'm myself. And I'm telling you now, Emerald, if you dare come up to me again, I swear that I'll fucking castrate you myself!'

Emerald raised his hands in submission. 'Easy there, Daphne. Christ, I'm not like that. Well, I am, but I'm not to you. Seriously, Daphne, you're attractive, yeah, but I'm not actually looking for a relationship. Or even for just a fuck! Look, I just came to Hogwarts unwillingly and basically, the only person who's even bothered to talk to me is Draco. Look, I promise that I'm not after you as a fuck-buddy. Is there any way that you'll believe me?'

Daphne looked at Emerald curiously, her head cocked to one side as though examining him in a new light. She had to admit, she was curious about this Emerald. From what she could tell from him, he clearly had trouble with the headmaster and the rest of the authorities. In addition, he was clearly good in a physical fight, although she knew that he would be weak against magical attacks. However, from what she had seen of him so far, he had already cultivated allies in both Gryffindor and Slytherin, from some of the best connected people around.

Parvati and Lavender were both known as the gossip queens of not just Gryffindor, but the whole school. The pair alone had been responsible for uncovering half the scandals that occurred in schools, and they probably contributed a great deal to the other half as well. One word from them, and they could potentially bring down a student.

And then there was Malfoy. She didn't know his game, but she did know that he was having troubles at home with his Death Eater father. While she had gotten the impression that he was nothing more than a carbon copy of his father, she had realized that last year, during his third year, he was clearly rethinking everything he'd been told. And he didn't like the results. But even so, his family connections expanded into pureblood society, which was critical for anyone who wanted to do well in the Wizarding world, particularly in politics. Hardly anyone could get a good position in the Ministry of Magic unless they had the support of the purebloods. It was why it was always the purebloods that were in power. And that was why society and the Wizarding world as a whole were stagnant.

Oh, she'd realised that a long time ago. But what she also knew was that Dumbledore was trying to combat this by removing all the purebloods. But Daphne, if nothing else, was able to see the long-term plan. What Dumbledore intended on doing was removing _all_ the purebloods, not just Death Eaters, but the Wizarding World as a whole. And that would be disastrous for all. Without them, society would be uprooted and new ethics and morals would come in, and that was a factor of unpredictability. Purebloods represented the days of the Founders, and tradition. Without it, anything could happen. It could even lead to the worst possible scenario possible, the revealing of the Wizarding world to the Muggles.

She decided on a decision. If her studies of Dumbledore were correct, then he was clearly planning on using the boy-who-lived as a political power for the "light" side. Of course, Emerald would never accept that willingly, but while she knew that Emerald could be a power, he was still extremely vulnerable to suggestions and implants put in his mind by Dumbledore. She could help, and if Emerald was actually telling the truth in not wanting her for sex, but as a friend, then she could accept it.

'Alright, Emerald. I will accept on one condition.'

Emerald nodded. 'State your terms and conditions.'

'I want you to swear a magical oath.'

'A what?'

'It basically means that if your lying you start to lose your magic, and slowly, but surely, your life. It's drastic, but it's sure as hell effective.'

Emerald nodded slowly. 'Well, what are the conditions?'

'That at this moment, you are not trying to get to know me to either have sexual intercourse or to try and date me. Only to become friends.'

Emerald nodded again. 'Acceptable, so what do I have to do?'

'Just say, "on my magic, I do swear it."'

'Alright then. On my magic, I swear that I, Emerald, also known as Harry James Potter, swear upon my magic that I am not befriending Daphne Greengrass in order to seduce her into having sexual intercourse with myself, nor to try and date her, but am only doing so to become friends with her. I do swear it upon my magic.'

Emerald waited for something to happen. He looked at Daphne, a little scared. 'Is that it?'

Daphne nodded. 'Had you been lying, we would've known that you were losing your magic.' She smiled at him. 'So then, _friend_, shall we go to breakfast?'

She stood up and walked away out of the Slytherin common room, followed closely by Emerald. However, she didn't go the way to the Great Hall.

'Uh, Daphne? I don't think that this is the way to the Great Hall…'

Daphne looked at him, smirking a little. 'Emerald, I saw your face yesterday when all that food appeared. Just like me, you thought that it was disgusting. Right?'

Emerald shrugged. 'Well, yeah. I mean, there's no healthy food whatsoever. How the hell are wizards meant to learn to keep their bodies healthy when they eat all that junk? Look at Ron Weasley! His clothes are practically bursting at the seams thanks to all the food that he eats.'

Daphne smirked at that, her eyes showing some amusement.

'So, where are we actually going?'

Daphne stopped in front of a portrait of a bowl of fruit. She grinned at Emerald. 'Well, Emerald, where else would be better to get healthy food than the kitchens itself?' She turned to the portrait and tickled the pear. The portrait suddenly swung inwards, revealing a massive kitchen.

Several creatures turned at the opening of the door, and a huge smile broke out on their faces. 'Mistress Greengrass!' One of them called out, approaching the two of them. 'We has missed you greatly while you were away. Do you wish for your usual breakfast, Mistress Greengrass?'

Daphne smiled at the strange little creatures. 'Biggles, this is my special friend, Emerald. Is it possible that you could make the same breakfast for him as you do for me?'

The strange creature nodded rapidly. 'Yes, yes, of course Mistress Greengrass! We'd be happy to serve!' It clapped its hands, scattering some of the strange creatures to different areas of the kitchen. 'Will you be wanting your usual place, Mistress Greengrass?'

She nodded. 'With an extra place set at the table for my good friend Emerald here.'

'As you command, Mistress Greengrass.'

As the strange creature ran towards a table, followed closely by Daphne, who easily kept up with the small steps of the creature. Emerald followed behind the pair, looking all around the kitchens. There were at least fifty of the creatures! All of them working with food. There was some working the ovens, others creating bread and others just making foods before placing them in the ovens!

Emerald sat down, uneasily, at the end of the table as Daphne sat at the opposite end. Seeing Emerald's face, she smiled slightly.

'Have you never heard of House Elves, Emerald?'

'House what?'

'House Elves. They serve wizards and witches. They're completely loyal, and will complete a task to the best of their ability. Sadly, due to their nature, they're very much looked down upon, and are often mistreated by many.' She smiled sadly. 'However, my family does not do this. We appreciate our House Elves as they have served my family for many years.' Emerald nodded, just as a House Elf ran up to Daphne and Emerald with a platter full of food. Emerald gaped as he saw the massive amount of food available. Apple and blueberry muffins, ham and egg omelettes, yogurt, Belgian Waffles, sweet potatoes and more!

Daphne smirked at the look on his face. 'Amazing what they can do, isn't it? All you have to do is ask them to do anything for you, and they'll do it! They love doing stuff for wizards and witches. They just can't say no!' She grinned as another House Elf served her food. Emerald shook his head at the House Elf who came to serve him, and simply took his own food from the platter.

'Have you seen the Daily Prophet today?' Daphne asked, munching on a piece of toast.

'The what?' Emerald mumbled through a mouthful of omelette.

Daphne shuddered slightly, but continued. 'The newspaper.'

'No, why?'

She chucked a piece of paper at him, Emerald catching it in his hand and unfurling it. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he read the front page.

_The boy-who-lived returns!_

_In a shocking story, the Daily Prophet has found out that none other than Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived has returned back to the wizarding world after being presumed dead for more than eight years. Several contacts at Hogwarts have informed us that the Boy-Who-Lived was sorted into Slytherin, a notorious house famed for being supporters of You-Know-Who._

'_He's proper evil,' Ron Weasley told us in an exclusive interview. 'Just after he got sorted into Slytherin, he stormed over to our house and started yelling at two Gryffindors. I got up to intervene, when he suddenly turned and attacked me for no reason! And then, he got off without being in trouble!'_

_Will other instances like this one occur again? Is the Boy-Who-Lived as light as believed? Here's what we have gleaned from Headmaster Albus Dumbledore._

'_Yes, as many of you know, I never stopped believing that Harry was still alive. And not long ago, I got a lucky break and heard word of a boy who looked exactly like Harry. I went and retrieved him, and after extensive talks, persuaded him to return to where he really belongs, and to become a Wizard like his parents would've wanted.'_

_When questioned about the violence already used on his first day at Hogwarts, Headmaster Dumbledore informed us; "Oh, the boy has not had a very good life. After running away from his relatives, he was brought up in a troubled place in Muggle London. He was forced to mature quickly, for a boy of his age, and has shown some minor aggression. We certainly hope to stamp it out as soon as possible. We have already had great progress with teaching the boy magic, and we hope to make him a fully functional member of society very soon.'_

_It is with a heavy heart, however, that this reporter asks the school as a whole, is Hogwarts as safe as rumoured? Very little is known of Harry Potter. Hopefully, as time goes on, Albus Dumbledore's words will prove to be correct, and the world can rejoice as the Boy-Who-Lived returns to the wizarding world._

_The reporters and staff at the Daily Prophet wish to be the first hopefully amongst many to welcome Harry Potter to the wizarding world, and offer him our congratulations for returning home, to where he belongs._

'Well...' Emerald started, blinking in surprise. 'That was...different.'

------------------------------------------------------

Emerald walked through the crowd of people, all of them wandering into shops, hanging out with friends or just messing around. Emerald, however, was on his own. He just wanted the chance to explore the area without being dragged off someplace by either Daphne or Malfoy.

He'd enjoyed hanging with Daphne. The girl was a laugh. You told her a joke, she'd get it immediately. She knew most of the secret passages in the school, and she knew who was a major political player in the school. Already, her bright wit had shown him that he had already made several allies with Parvati and Lavender, the two gossip queens, and with Malfoy, who had inroads to the Death Eaters, even though his loyalties were suspect.

The teachers weren't too bad either. The only problem had been that he was stuck doing First Year work. It was humiliating to say the least. Luckily for him he hadn't been stuck doing lessons with the First Years, but he had been subject to tutoring and work set for him. The first set of work that he had been set had been by McGonagall. It made a lovely fire. The rest of the teachers soon learnt, that while Emerald would bother doing practical work, he would not under any circumstances, be subject to theory.

In all, it had been a very boring week. There had been nothing to do during the night, and fuck-all to do during the day as well. More than ever, he missed the gang. He just wanted to go back home to his friends, where he didn't have to deal with fame and where he didn't have to fight illusions of himself caused by stories told about him.

Of course, Dumbledore didn't help much either. He had only been at Hogwarts for a week before he had been called up to his office for an important matter.

_Flashback_

'_Ah, Harry, my boy.' The old man__'s eyes twinkled at him merrily._

_Emerald looked at him, unimpressed. 'What do you want?'_

_Dumbledore didn't look troubled by Emerald's words, but smiled at him indulgently. 'Emerald, I was wondering whether you would rather move out of the dungeons into a more...secure environment.'_

_Emerald raised an eyebrow. 'Why, whatever do you mean," Professor"?'_

'_I don't know if you know this, Emerald, but Slytherin is notorious for providing the majority of Voldemort's Death Eaters. There's a lot of supporters in there, Emerald, and to him, you're his second most dangerous foe.'_

'_Who's the first?'_

'_Well, not that I mean to boast, but I like to think that I'm on top of his "to kill" chart.'_

'_I don't like being not first, so if I kill you, would that make me first?'_

'_Now now, Emerald.' Dumbledore smiled at him. 'I really do doubt that even if you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have a chance.'_

'_Want to put it to the test?'_

'_Not particually. Now, Emerald, I'm sure that we can sort out you being entered into a new house with minimum disruption. May I suggest Gryffindor?'_

'_May I suggest you go shove your wand up your –'_

'_I really advise you to not finish that sentence, Emerald.' Dumbledore said sternly, looking at him in disapproval. The portraits on the wall murmured their shock and rage at Emerald. Without looking, Emerald raised his middle finger and pointed it in a circle at the portraits, raising even more gasps of anger, before giving a smirk at Dumbledore._

'_While I...thank you for your...kind offer, I'm afraid that I must decline. You see I'm rather comfortable now and I've only just got all my stuff unpacked. I'm sure you understand of course.' He gave a mocking wave as he stood and turned, leaving Dumbledore behind.'_

_End flashback_

And so, the first week had basically passed without any incident. He had managed to meet Lavender and Parvati a few days after the first day in an abandoned classroom, where they had a talk. Parvati had told him all about Hogwarts, giving him a few details of passageways they'd discovered in their years here, while Lavender provided the flirting. Emerald had joined in, but the atmosphere between the three of them was quite relaxed. There was little sexual tension between the three of them, something Emerald found partly disappointing. Still, the two girls were useful in their own way, and were more than willing to hang around with him.

In the Slytherin common room, Daphne had introduced him to her brunette friend, Tracy Davis. Tracy was another pretty looking witch, but didn't have much to offer above her waist. A nice arse though. The problem was that she was another aristocrat, who practically turned her nose up at Emerald, although she did show some interest in him when she thought Emerald wasn't looking.

The most interesting thing that had happened that week was a few days ago, when Emerald had been lying on the sofa, his feet up and his hands behind his head. Snape had suddenly entered the common room, causing everyone there to stand up straight, when previously they had been all talking and generally been relaxed. Emerald stayed lying down, watching with amusement at the other Slytherins. Snape's gaze landed on him, causing Emerald to give him a wink, waving his hand as though giving Snape permission to carry on talking. Snape gritted his teeth, but ignored Emerald.

'Students,' he started. 'As you all should know, the Triwizard Tournament has been announced, and the participating schools will be assembling tomorrow at Hogwarts.' He looked at them all sternly. 'They will be arriving at 6 o'clock, and your lessons will be ended half an hour early. Now, I expect _each and every one of you _to represent Slytherin with dignity and grace. I do not want to see any fights, show of disunity or disorder amid us. We are the representatives of Hogwarts, and we will behave accordingly.' With a swish of his robes, Snape suddenly left the doorway.

------------

The next day, the Slytherins walked calmly up the corridors in a line up to the first floor, watching in amusement and disdain at the rowdy Gryffindors who were wandering down the stairs in a disorderly fashion, shoving past each other and walking in groups and pairs, talking to each other in loud voices. They looked at the Slytherins with hostility, while the Slytherins returned the look with contempt. There was a brief silence, before Snape appeared from the back of the line. The Slytherins, still in their line, walked outside, waiting in rows made up of first to seventh years, watching the sky where they had been told by Snape earlier the Beauxatons delegation would be arriving from, followed by the Durmstrang delegation.

It wasn't long before a dot appeared in the sky, noticed only by the Slytherins. When it was finally seen by the other Houses, panicked cries went out from the other students, while the Slytherins' watched on, amused. Emerald stood next to Draco and Daphne, watching with disinterest. Truth be told, he wouldn't have even bothered showing up had it not been for Snape literally forcing him up from his sofa by levitating him.

'It's a dragon!' A first year shrieked.

'Don't be stupid, it's a flying house!' Another Gryffindor yelled.

As the giant black shape skimmed over the trees of the forbidden forest, and the lights that shone from the castle hit it, a gigantic, powder-blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soared towards them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, each the size of an elephant.

'Fuck me sideways,' Emerald muttered, before being nudged by Daphne in the ribs. He glared at her balefully as the first three lines of every house backed away slightly. The carriage suddenly landed with a boom, causing several Gryffindors to leap backwards into the line behind them.

'Idiots,' Emerald muttered. Draco chuckled, while Daphne rolled her eyes.

A girl dressed in blue leapt out of the carriage, opening the door. All of a sudden, a massive figure appeared in the doorway. A hugely large woman walked out of the carriage, followed by a group of shivering witches, shawls wrapped around their heads. Dumbledore approached the woman, bowing courteously to her. She held out her hand, easily the size of his arm. Dumbledore took it, kissing it, before saying something to the woman. The woman nodded, and walked inside the castle, followed by the witches.

Emerald's attention was suddenly drawn to the lake, where a huge mast was emerging, followed by a large ship, easily outdated by several centuries. A plank appeared off of the ship, and a small man walked off of it, followed by another group wrapped in winter furs. He approached Dumbledore, both of whom bowed to each other. Dumbledore once again said something, followed by a nod from the man. The man also walked into the castle, followed by the group wrapped in furs.

Snape suddenly approached them. 'Inside to the Great Hall,' he said sharply. 'Sit at your tables, and don't make any disturbances.'

Within five minutes, the Slytherin's were sat at their table, having been joined by the group from Durmstrange. The group was revealed to be all male, and many of the girls had clustered around one particular person. Daphne was sat beside Emerald, an eyebrow raised as she saw Tracy, usually dignified and proud, reduced to a fangirl. 'What's all this about?' Emerald questioned Daphne.

'His name is Victor Krum, one of the greatest Seekers in Quiditch that the world can boast. He's meant to be a genius at the game.'

'Quidditch?'

'It basically involves flying, broomsticks and catching a small golden ball. I can't be bothered to explain further.'

'And they call Muggles weird,' Emerald sighed as he looked at a huge shape hidden by a cloak.

Dumbledore stepped up all of a sudden. 'My dear friends from each and every school. I welcome you all to Hogwarts, those of you that are new to the shores of England! We hope to make this experience an excellent one for you. As you all know, you must be over seventeen to take part in this tournament. You may apply to take part in the tournament by placing a slip of paper with your name on it into this!' With a flourish, he unveiled the shape, revealing it to be a goblet. A gasp emerged from the other three tables. 'However, should you not be over seventeen, and attempt to apply, you _shall _be found out. There is little point trying to put your slip in, as I have placed an aging line around it, therefore, the Goblet shall know what to do with anyone attempting to sneak past it's defences.' Dumbledore's face showed amusement.

'And now, with no further interuptions, let us eat!'

Dumbledore clapped his hands, and the usual amounts of unhealthy food appeared on the table. Emerald groaned slightly, looking at Daphne in despair. 'What now?'

'Grin and bear it,' Daphne said. 'Just grin and bear it.'


	13. Chosen

'**Harry Potter!' 'Piss off!"**

**Uhh...serious threat of writers blocks building up here. Right, here's what my new plan is. Basically, I'm not going through the whole of GOF, but I'm going to just skip to main areas that I feel are relevant to the story. So, basically, Emerald is going to be chosen in this chapter for a champion, and next chapter, I'm skipping straight to the first task. I really want to complete this story, and I don't want to let anyone down again with this story by abandoning it. So, basically, I hope you'll all forgive me if the story does seem rushed, but...oh hell, like I give a flying fuck! :p Sit down, shut up, and get reading.**

Dumbledore was sat in his office, attended by Snape, who was sat in front of him at his desk. Snape was standing, glaring down at Dumbledore. 'I will not have it! I have already had enough of his arrogance. He's just like his damned father! Worst of all, he's in _my _House! I want him removed, immediately!'

'Unfortunately, Severus, Harry has shown a disliking towards leaving Slytherin. He has become attached it to, from what I gather. He will not leave willingly.'

Snape placed his hands on the desk and lent forward. 'Then let me make him leave unwillingly.' Snape said, his eyes eager.

'Severus, I will not force Harry to leave Slytherin if he does not want to.'

'And why not? You didn't seem this concerned when you forced him away from his _Muggle filth_ friends.'

'Severus!' Dumbledore snapped at Snape. 'Do not use any insults such as that in my presence, understand? And as for me not forcing Harry from Slytherin House, I have my reasons for that. I, as well as many others in the wizarding world, want Harry to remain in the wizarding world of his own will. I have provided him with that opportunity, and I will not cause any potential damage to his liking of it by forcing him away from a place where he feels comfortable.'

Snape threw his hands in the air with a snarl, allowing himself to collapse into the armchair that Dumbledore had a particular liking for, and had several of them positioned around his office. Snape looked at Dumbledore. 'Do you honestly believe that Potter will want to stay here in the wizarding world once you've _forced _him through the last few years of Hogwarts? I wouldn't be surprised if he fled as soon as he could into the Muggle world where I daresay even the resources of the entire Wizarding world would be able find him.'

'This is exactly why I intend for Emerald's time at Hogwarts to be filled with happiness, and perhaps the chance to relieve the childhood that he never received.'

Snape shook his head in disgust. 'If you truly believe that, Headmaster, then you are truly deluded.'

'One man's dream is another man's delusion, Severus, do not forget that. Perhaps it is all a delusion, as you say, but it doesn't stop me from trying. Now, perhaps we could get to the real reason that I called you up here.'

'I'm practically riveted with excitement,' Snape said dryly, settling himself down comfortably in the armchair.

'As you know, our "Moody" is currently placing Harry's name into the Goblet. If all goes as expected, Harry will be chosen for champion of what I assume to be a fourth school.'

Snape shook his head again. 'I still do not understand why you simply do not have Moody arrested before he causes anymore damage.'

'Like I have said before, Harry will no doubt attempt to escape at the first opportunity. The Goblet will keep him here for at least another year, giving us more time to arrange protection at the Dursleys.'

Snape's eyes widened. 'You cannot seriously be prepared to send Potter to those _people_, do you? Why, he'd kill them at the first chance, and I can't say that I'd be too sorry for them in that case.'

Albus waved off the comment. 'I understand your concerns, Severus, and let me say that I do understand what Emerald will think. But the Dursleys' are the best place for him, thanks to Lily's sacrifice. I will take measures to ensure that Harry and the Dursley's do not...fall out.'

'Dumbledore, you have had some terrible ideas before, but...this is quite honestly the worst idea that you have ever come up with.'

'It is the best plan available to us. Emerald will not come under too much danger. We will all be overseeing the tasks, and Voldemort will not have a chance to get near him, not why I am still breathing in any case.'

'And Moody?'

'Let him continue educating our students. I must honestly say that he is one of the more better Defence Against the Dark teachers that we have had for quite a while, Remus none withstanding, of course.'

'Yes, of course.' Severus said bitterly. 'So basically, your plan is to let a Death Eater wander through the halls of Hogwarts, force Potter into staying at Hogwarts for a entire year, and hope to send him to the Dursleys for the rest of the summer?'

'If you look at it in that light, then yes, you may call it that.'

'And just how to you expect Potter to cooperate during the tournament?'

'I have spoken with Sirius at length. It was not easy gaining his cooperation, but I eventually managed to persuade Sirius that it was in Harry's interests.'

'And you think that having Black give his permission for Potter to take part in this tournament is going to get Potter's cooperation?'

'I did raise that concern with Sirius, and he gave me a letter under the strictest conditions that I do not open it, only that Emerald may open it should he be chosen in the tournament.'

'And you trust Black to do a job like this?'

Dumbledore smiled disarmingly. 'I trusted a Death Eater at one time, did I not Severus?'

'I called you crazy then, and I call you crazy now.'

'Lemon drop, Severus?'

--------------------------------

At that same moment, Emerald was sat in the Slytherin common room, sitting with Draco, watching several 7th year Slytherins be congratulated and patted on the back by fellow Slytherins. The big event was that they had gone and put their names in the Goblet, hoping to be selected. Emerald sneered slightly; it was hardly something to get excited over. Draco turned towards him, all of a sudden.

Ever since Emerald had told Draco about the capabilities of the Muggle world, the boy had seen to be more silent, and at some times had looked thoughtful. 'Emerald,' Draco started, looking hesitant.

'What's up?'

'I want to ask you some more about Muggles.'

'If you really want to, then go ahead.' Emerald looked at Draco, his head supported by his arm as he regarded Draco with mild interest.

'If every wizard in England, Mudblood or otherwise, came together to go to war with the Muggles, could we actually win against them?'

Emerald remained silent for a while, before answering. 'Draco, in my opinion, Muggles are more than capable of dealing with you if it came to war. Like you've told me, there are around 300,000 of you. I suppose that if you took us by surprise, you could probably do quite a lot of damage, but in the end, you wouldn't actually stand a chance. You may have an advantage with your hidey-hole's which Muggles won't go towards, but I can't really see wizards inventing a ward that'll keep away Radiation or bombs if we decided to go all out against you. And like I said before, 300,000 wizards against 60,000,000 Muggles. It would kinda be a slaughter for the Muggles, which I fully count myself as being.'

Draco remained silent, before he turned and walked away, looking thoughtful. Emerald turned back, just to see Daphne and Tracy leave the room. Emerald sighed; his potential source of non-boredom had just disappeared outside of the door. His mind searched for anything to do, when it hit something. He hadn't really talked to Parvati or Lavender in a while, and if what they had told him was true before, they probably hadn't had a _proper _drink in a while. He quickly ran upstairs to his dorm, scrounging around in his trunk before he found what he was looking for. Grinning wickedly, he pulled out three bottles of vodka, grabbing a bag from one of his dorm-mates beds, throwing out the various items already in it. He grimaced as he grabbed himself one of his last packets of cigarettes, realising that Sirius would have to come through soon with his promise for more...treats.

He approached a Slytherin third year, who was on his own sitting in the corner of the room. As he came closer, the Slytherin looked up, slightly confused.

'Tell me,' Emerald started, getting straight into it. 'How would you like to do me a favour?'

'Depends on what the favour is,' the Slytherin said, guardedly.

'I need someone to take me to the Gryffindor common room.'

The Slytherin's face monetarily showed disgust, before becoming blank again. 'And why would you want to go to the house of...fools?'

'I believe that that would be my own business. What I asked you was whether you could take me there.'

The Slytherin regarded Emerald carefully for a few seconds before cocking his head to one side slightly. 'And what might be in it for me?'

Emerald, looking around the room carefully, pulled out a bottle of vodka, causing the Slytherin's eyebrows to rise. 'Is that firewhisky?' The Slytherin asked, his voice low.

'Some might call it that,' Emerald said noncommittally.

The Slytherin looked thoughtful for a few seconds, before nodding. 'Very well, the deal is acceptable. If you'll just give me the drink now...'

'Or you could take me to the Gryffindor common room, and keep your mouth shut, or I'll find someone else.'

'And what would stop me from telling Professor Snape?'

'The threat of my fist in your face. Repeatedly. Get it?'

'Crystal,' the Slytherin said, his face showing a faint sign of worry.

'Good, then get going. _Now_.'

After around ten minutes of walking, the Slytherin in front, occasionally looking at Emerald worriedly behind him, the Slytherin finally stopped outside of a portrait of a fat woman. The Slytherin turned to Emerald expectantly. Emerald sneered slightly at him, throwing him a bottle, causing the Slytherin to fumble it as he balanced it in his hands, only holding onto it by the slightest balance. 'There, you've had your reward, now piss off, and don't tell anyone about this or else.'

As the Slytherin disappeared, Emerald turned to the portrait of the fat woman, who had watched their exchange with immense disapproval. 'Mind if I go in?'

'Password?' The fat woman asked.

'Emerald is simply gorgeous?'

The woman glared at him. 'Incorrect.'

'Whatever, look, can you just let me in? I need to find two people.'

'Most certainly not! Unless you are a Gryffindor, or know the password, I am obligated by Hogwarts herself to protect the homes of the students belonging to Gryffindor.'

'Look, I'll just be inside for a minute!'

'Does it look as though I care?'

'I wouldn't be able to tell; I mean, look at all the fat on you! It practically covers your entire face!'

'Why you –'

'Man, when you were born, you must've had your baby pictures taken by satellite.'

'You insolent –'

'I bet when they tried to measure you on a weight-scale, it said "to be continued."'

'Filthy –'

'Then there was the time when –'

'Emerald?'

Emerald turned around, in front of him stood Hermione, who was looking at him puzzled. Behind him, the Fat Lady had turned red with rage, and appeared to be speechless.

'Hello, Granger.'

'What on earth are you doing here?'

'It's a free world, Granger. Am I upsetting some ancient laws that demand my death for daring to stand on the hallowed floors of the seventh floor?'

'Not that I know of, but it's certainly unusual for a Slytherin to be outside of the Gryffindor common room, unless of course he's planning on causing more trouble for us.' Her eyes narrowed with slight suspicion, and she seemed to grasp something in her pocket. Emerald sneered slightly.

'Don't delude yourself that you could defeat me Granger. I may not be decent with your spells, but I don't need them to deal with someone in a fight.'

'What do you want, Emerald?' She said frostily, ignoring his last sentence.

'I want you to go get Lavender and Parvati.'

She looked confused, 'Lavender and Parvati? Why them?'

'Ask no questions, get no punches. Are you going to go get them or what?'

Huffing slightly, Hermione moved past Emerald, whispering something into the Fat Lady's ear, which then opened the portrait door, giving Emerald a glimpse of a fiery-red common room, a fire-place crackling with a fire while a Gryffindor banner was hanging over it. There were several people in the room, only a few bothering to look who was outside. When they saw Emerald, they turned to their friends, about to point him out, just as the portrait closed and the angry-looking Fat Lady looked at him. For a few seconds, the Fat Lady and Emerald stared at each other, Emerald's in defiance, and the Fat Lady's in hatred. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the portrait opened, breaking the stare the two of them had, Lavender and Parvati stepped through, their eyes landing on Emerald and breaking out into a grin.

'Well well, look whose decided to grace us with their presence.' Parvati said, grinning at Emerald.

'Yes, you are rather fortunate, aren't you?' Emerald remarked back, smirking at the pair of them.

'It's about time you remembered us,' Lavender pouted. 'I thought you'd forgotten all about little old me.'

'Like that's possible,' Parvati muttered, grinning at Lavender. Lavender gave a mock-gasp, hitting her friend lightly on the shoulder, before turning back to Emerald. 'So Emerald, what can we do for you?'

'I need information.'

'Ah...information. The very life blood of a proper Slytherin.' Parvati sighed dramatically. 'If only you were in Gryffindor, you would certainly provide the two of us some entertainment. Now, what kind of information would you be looking for, and what exactly will we receive in return?'

Emerald quickly pushed his mind away from the trails of what Parvati meant by _entertainment_, and focused on the present. 'Aw, so my pretty face doesn't earn me any information?'

'No, but it certainly does help,' Lavender remarked, a grin on her pretty face.

'Well, if my gorgeousness alone doesn't help, how about these?' He pulled from his cloak where he had concealed the alcohol the bottles. He noted with approval the widening of both Parvati and Lavender's eyes.

'Wicked,' Lavender breathed with amazement.

'How'd you get it into Hogwarts?' Parvati asked, awe in her voice.

'Well, that would be telling now, wouldn't it?'

'Does it really matter how he got it, Parvati?' Lavender said excitedly. 'As long as he has it, and he'll let us have some, then who the hell cares?' She smiled at Emerald excitedly. 'Come on, let's go to the Astronomy tower, there's hardly anyone who goes there at this time, anyway.' She tugged at Parvati's sleeve. 'Come on, let's go. I think that Weasley was watching us, anyway.'

Parvati's face soured, 'wanker.' She muttered.

'Why?' Emerald asked, allowing himself to be pulled by Lavender. 'Did the idiot do anything after the feast?'

'When we got back to the common room, he went off into a big rant how all Slytherin's were evil, and you must've been using dark magic somehow to defeat him. He doesn't accept that Slytherin can beat Gryffindor sometimes, and just because we've been labelled "good", we will always triumph over Slytherin, who're "evil".'

'And they wonder why that loads of Slytherin's become Death Eaters?' Emerald asked incredulously. 'Did they never consider that the constant belittlement and putdowns might've pushed them into becoming "evil"?'

'Apparently not,' Parvati said dryly. 'But it kind of makes sense now that you say it.'

Emerald smirked. 'It's the perk of having a Muggle mind, it's because we're smarter than most of your lot.'

'Hey!' Lavender glared at Emerald.

'What? I said most!'

_Ten minutes later, mainly because this writer's very tired and doesn't want to write about them making their way up to the Astronomy tower and going through pointless questions, savvy?_

'So, in summary,' Emerald started. 'The rumour going around school about me is that I'm a dark wizard in training, I'm a innocent Gryffindor forced into Slytherin, I'm not Harry Potter but I'm a person put in disguise, and I'm also You-know-who?'

'Basically yeah.'

'And I thought I was screwed up before I came here.' Emerald sighed, taking a drag of his cigarette, watching Parvati take the bottle from Lavender and gulped the alcohol down. She coughed as she went up for air, before smiling at Emerald, passing him the bottle. Emerald rose the bottle in a mock-cheers, before finishing off the dregs.

'Anymore?' Lavender slurred hopefully, clearly tipsy, if not drunk all together.

Emerald griminced. 'I'd get her back if I was you. Curfew started ages ago.' Parvati nodded, pulling up Lavender.

'What about you?'

'Nah, I'm alright. What are they going to do to me? Expel me?' Emerald smirked, taking another drag of his rapidly vanishing cigarette.

'True true,' Parvati said. She winked at him, 'have a good night.'

'No goodnight kiss?' Emerald smirked at her.

'Maybe if you get me drunk, Emerald. I'm not a lightweight, unlike Lavender here.' She grinned at him, before disappearing, supporting Lavender.

--------------------------

Emerald sat at the Slytherin table, watching with mild curiosity as the champions were being chosen for the Triwizard tournament.

'Fleur Delacour!' A beautiful witch stood from the table in blue cloaks. Nearly half the hall, coincidently all male, stood and gave a standing ovation, cheering and whistling. Emerald watched in amusement as many Slytherins, most of them stiff pricks, were screaming their hearts out for her. He rolled his eyes as the cheering finally died down when she disappeared.

'Victor Krum!' A boy wearing a heavy animal fur cloak stood and walked to where the girl had disappeared. Most of the Hall cheered him, while Emerald stood up, yelling, 'Animal rights! Down with cruelty to animals!' Several people looked at him oddly, but Emerald simply sneered at them, causing them to look down away from his hastily.

'Cedric Diggory!' This time, Slytherin remained seated, shock and anger on their faces as a boy dressed in black robes with a yellow silk ribbon stood up from a particular table, that Daphne informed him was regarded as the "weak" table.

Suddenly, the Goblet shone again, a fiery flame coming out of the top. A slip of paper fell out of the Goblet, caught by Dumbledore, who wore a mask of disguise. As the hall grew silent with shock and anticipation, Emerald noted that although Dumbledore looked shocked, it didn't reach his eyes. Finally, the man looked up directly at Emerald.

'Shit,' Emerald groaned quietly as he realised what would happen next.

'Harry Potter.' Dumbledore said quietly, as though he was still in shock. 'Harry Potter!' Dumbledore yelled this time. Emerald stood up resoultly, if he was going to have to go through this, then he was going to have some fun while he was at it.

As he passed Dumbledore, he shot him a look promising retribution. As he passed the other teachers and overseers, all in a line, he stopped at a random few. 'Hi, nice to meet you, vote Potter in the next election. Unless you're foreign of course...never could stand them...bloody foreigners.' Ignoring the offended gasps behind him, he strode through into the small room, followed by the gazes of each and every eye in the Hall.

A few seconds after he had entered the room, the others all clustered in, arguing and yelling about how Emerald had somehow slipped through the wards. The champions quickly joined in, while Emerald shook his head in despair, slipping out of the arguing crowd into a seat at the side of the room, watching them argue. Finally, they all seemed to have reached the conclusion that there was nothing they could do, and with glares and promises of taking the matter to the "proper authorities", Dumbledore turned to Emerald.

'No.'

Dumbledore closed his mouth, just as he had been about to say something. 'No?'

'I said no, Dumbledore. I am not playing your twisted fucked up little games, especially when they involve me.'

'You have no choice, I'm afraid Emerald. There is a magical binding contract, after all.'

'I'll survive, I quit. There, done and dusted.'

Dumbledore sighed, pulling from his pocket a letter. 'I did anticipate this problem, Emerald, and I hope this will convince you to change your mind.' He passed the letter to Emerald, who opened it without showing emotion. As he skimmed through it, his eyes widened slightly as several sentances hit him.

_Plenty of alcohol is involved if you play along._

_I will buy you cigarettes. _

_Please, for the love of God, don't kill any Gryffindors while you're at Hogwarts. For that matter, don't kill any student at all! For any matter at that, if you want to kill a Slytherin or two, I'll let that go, but don't' kill anyone else!_

Emerald looked at Dumbledore.

'Will you do it, Emerald? For fame and glory to you and for Hogwarts?'

Emerald quickly weighed up the pros and cons.

'Dumbledore,' he said with false sincerity. 'I'll do it.'


	14. Here be dragons

**Here be dragons...**

**Right, I was going through the story structure when I just thought that you'd all like to know that this'll be the structure of my story. I'll be going through the main tasks and/or events, but going through what led up to the particular event during the chapter so you're not left behind in confusion. Don't know if you like it, don't really care if you don't like it, I do care if you send reviews however, as many of you know that I try to reply to them all. So, read and review.**

**Oh, btw, I actually wrote this chapter in one go!!! Took me several hours, but I managed to get it done. I hope you like it, but it came out easily and fun! Read and review, please, I want to hear your emotions when you read the ending. :p**

In the tent was sat Cedric Diggory, his face pale and drawn. His emotions were pretty well hidden, but if you looked closely, you could tell that he was trembling slightly in his robes. Wearing his house colours, a slight golden robe with the symbol of a badger on its back, he cut a fine sight, a regular warrior-prince. His boyish looks that were halfway in between of becoming a man made him look young, but determined. His brown eyes flashed with excitement and fear, darting nervously between areas in the tent, not daring to look at either of the champions. His Adams Apple quivered slightly as he regularly gulped quietly.

Pacing up and down the room was Fleur Delacour, her figure slightly shown off in the pale blue robes she wore. Her face was concentrated and she seemed to be muttering words to herself, certain spells that she thought to be useful against the dragon she would face were being said over and over in the hope that should she panic, she would remember at least one of these spells. Her face was also pale, her wand in her hand as it did erratic movements, giving a shadow of a trace of one of the spells. Her long golden hair dangled down her back, a slight breeze drafting through the tent flap, brushing her hair slightly, causing some of it to rise, and giving her the appearance of an angel.

Viktor Krum stood by the corner of the tent, his face surly and hidden slightly by shadows, giving to any who looked at him the appearance of a dark creature. With his red robes, and his favoured fur cloak, his appearance as a dark creature was given further credence. His eyes glinted slightly in the light, his mouth slightly open. He watched the two champions hungrily, regarding what he regarded as his enemies with fierceness. His hand fingered his wand, its tip coincidently held towards the two champions, as though he was prepared for an attack of any kind. All three official champions were in the tent, awaiting the arrival of the judges. In fact, there was only one person missing from the entire thing.

Emerald.

As though the devil heard the word, the flap of the tent and a figure stood in the way of the sunlight, his shadow rapidly expanded ten times its size and drafting the entire tent with its darkness. Emerald stood in the light, his green eyes shining brightly as he took in the entire tent. His clothes were rough and torn in some places. His blue jeans had several holes in them, and he looked dishevelled as he walked forward, a thin item wrapped up in his sheet was held in his left hand as he let himself sit down roughly in a chair. He smirked at the rest of the champions, letting his hand rise limply in a small attempt to acknowledge them. His eyes closed as he lent his head back against the tent wall. 'S'up?' He said drowsily. He didn't wait for a reply as he went on. 'Sorry about being a bit late, I was still asleep ten minutes ago.' He yawned as though to prove that point.

Out of the three champions, only one turned to acknowledge him. 'Emerald,' Cedric said guardedly, watching him. His gaze turned to the item at his side, his eyes regarding it curiously. 'What's that?' He said, still looking at the item.

Emerald looked down; opening his eyes slightly before letting them fall again. 'It's a sheet.'

'What's in the sheet?' Cedric persisted.

'A thing.'

'What thing?'

Emerald didn't bother replying, still sat there with his eyes closed. Cedric gave up, sighing slightly as he turned back to his original pastime, his eyes flickering once again between various items. The silence continued for several minutes, Fleur still pacing up and down, while Cedric and Viktor continued staring at various things. Emerald still sat there, his eyes closed; giving the impression that he was asleep. All of a sudden, the tent flap opened again, the sounds of passing students was once again loud inside the preivous tent, and a man entered the tent, rubbing his hands together eagerly, a small bag hanging at his waist.

'Ah, the champions are all assembled then?' The man asked, smiling boyishly, his hands still rubbing together. After looking around the tent and seeing four people, he smiled again. 'Good-oh!' The man was wearing yellow robes with a symbol of a wasp on his shoulders, looking like a cartoon character amidst the pale-faced champions. The man, upon seeing Emerald, hesitated slightly, but then strode over confidently, his hand reaching towards his shoulder, ready to shake him awake. Just as Bagman's hand touched Emerald's shoulder, Emerald lashed out all of a sudden. Grabbing the man's hand, he quickly slammed a fist against the bone between the wrist and the elbow. An audio snap echoed through the room, and the man yelled loudly in pain. Emerald looked at the man in confusion, shaking his head to lose the sleep still lingering around him.

'Ah...' he looked at the man in slight sympathy. 'I'd go see a doctor if I were you, mate. That's a pretty nasty break there.'

The man smiled painfully at Emerald. 'No...no problem.' He said, taking hold of his wand with his hand. '_Episkey_!' The arm, previously looking out of shape, quickly bent into place, the man sighing relieved, before looking at Emerald ruefully, 'A nice hit there, Harry,' rubbing his arm where it had been previously broken.'

'Call me Emerald,' Emerald said idly before he looked at the healed arm with slight interest. 'Nice spell,' he remarked. 'So, what are you doing here anyway?'

The man smiled at the four champions, although not as much as he had done when he had entered the tent. 'Well, when the audience has assembled fully in the stands, I will be offering each of you from this bag,' he pulled the bag from his waist, dangling it in the air, 'a dragon.' None of the champions reacted, Emerald noted curiously. So he hadn't been the only one not told... Bagman appeared to be the only person to not note the lack of surprise on each of the champion's face. 'From this bag, you will be picking out a small model of the dragon you will be about to face! There are different...species of dragons, you see. I have one last thing to tell you all. Your task – for this particular task – is to _collect the golden egg_!'

Emerald glanced casually at the other champions. Cedric nodded once before he looked at the ground, looking slightly green around the edges of his face. Fleur and Viktor hadn't reacted at all to the man's words. It looked likely that they had already been informed the tasks that they would have to face by their various headmasters. And to think, the idiots had actually signed up for this? At least Emerald had been dragged into this unwillingly; the other three had wanted to sign up for this!

As the hundreds and hundreds of feet passed the tent from outside, their owners talking excitedly to other people, the four champions found themselves faced with the bag as the man opened its head. He smiled as he offered it to the three champions, each of them receiving their dragon. After giving to Cedric one of the last dragons, he turned to Emerald, still smiling. 'Here you go, Harry.'

'Emerald,' he said irritably, knowing what the final dragon would be. He pulled out, as he expected, the Hungarian Horntail. He glared at it as it glared back, small tails of flames darting from its nostrils and impacting harmlessly against Emerald's skin. 'Great,' Emerald muttered. 'How convenient that _I _would have to pick the biggest and the ugliest one, isn't it?' The man suddenly approached him.

'Ah, Ha – Emerald. I was wondering whether you'd like to have a small talk outside.'

'No,' Emerald said bluntly, looking at the Dragon model in his hand.

'I...uh...' he lowered his voice. 'Since you are the youngest champion of us all, perhaps I can offer a few words of advice?'

'Nope, not wanted, not needed.'

'Emerald, I –' He stopped talking as a whistle blew in the distance. 'Good Lord, I've got to run!' The man said in alarm, hurrying off.

'What did Bagman want?' Cedric asked him, looking at him curiously.

'God knows,' Emerald said, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. 'Let's just get this over with, yeah?'

**A few days ago**

Emerald, after being named a champion, had become a social pariah, not that he really cared, of course. Slytherin had regarded him with a suspicious eye, but had refrained from asking him what had happened. Rather, they greeted him warmly and offered him their support if he needed it. Emerald was not sure, but he was suspiciously sure that at least two Slytherins were following him, possibly in an attempt to find out how he did it, what he was going to do for the task, or rather, simply to protect him from the rest of the school. Speaking of the rest of the school, they were most certainly pissed off. The gossip from Parvati and Lavender, after he had arranged to meet with them several times a week in exchange for alcohol, was that Emerald was clearly dark now. People were heavily suspicious of him, and there had been talk of an investigation from the Ministry to determine just who Emerald was exactly, and whether or not he was dark. As of yet, there had been no sign of any kind of investigation, and Emerald suspected that Dumbledore had a hand in stopping anything of that sort.

When he had gone down to the Great Hall for breakfast the day after being chosen as champion, hoping to grab some toast as he had accidently woken up too late to bother going to the kitchens, the school, nearly as a whole, had watched him with a mixture of anger, curiosity and sympathy. Ron Weasley, the redheaded kid who was at the Gryffindor table, had almost immediately opened up a volley of abuse at Emerald, accusing him of consorting with the darkest of dark arts, plotting to bring down the Ministry from Hogwarts, and in general being a typical slimy Slytherin. Emerald simply ignored him, although he couldn't help but smirk when Snape had come swooping down, taking 50 points from Gryffindor and assigning him with a detention with the caretaker, who he was assured by various people was a piece of scum.

While Emerald would've normally taken no notice of any problems, he had become more sheltered and watched than ever before. Whenever he left the Slytherin common room, he was _sure _that he was being stalked by various portraits who wandered around the school randomly. He was sure that some of the ghosts were involved in this as well, as he had seen a few pale heads disappear through walls. Not only that, but a lot of students were following him as well, whispering behind his back about Emerald. Although, Emerald had little problem with the last problem, as some of those people following him were various groups of girls, who giggled when he occasionally looked at them. Viktor Krum had the same problem as Emerald had, although his was larger. Being a sports-star wasn't all it was made out to be, apparently, as large numbers of people basically followed him everywhere.

It had therefore, after several days of mistrust and suspicion, that Snape, after Emerald had retired to the Slytherin common room that he was informed by a gleeful sounding Year 4 Slytherin that _Professor Snape _summoned him to his private chambers. The Slytherin, still smiling as he led Emerald to where a portrait of a red headed woman looked at Emerald with sadness, opened the door automatically. Emerald looked at the portrait in curiosity, for some reason it aroused some emotion within him...shaking his head, he entered the room.

As he entered, Snape looked up at him, glaring at him. 'Potter!' He snapped. 'Did I give you permission to enter the room?'

Emerald shrugged looking at the various items on the shelves. 'Nah, but you wanted to see me, so can we cut to the chase? I can't be fucking bothered to go through any pathectic power games to show who's in charge or who isn't. You've sent for me, I'm here, can we get on with it?'

'Potter,' Snape snarled, looking at him. 'Let's get one thing here, I'm in charge, and your not!'

Emerald looked at him oddly. 'Didn't I just say that?'

'How dare you!' Snape yelled, walking towards him. 'Who do you think you are?'

Emerald looked left to right, before offering a bemused smile. 'Umm...well, I like people to call me Emerald. But certain people in this castle insist on calling me –'

'Silence!'

There was silence for a few seconds, before Emerald broke.

'You really need a shower, you know.'

'Shut up!'

'Alright, alright! I get it!'

Snape glared at him for a few more second, before snorting in satisfaction, turning away from Emerald and back to a cauldron where a thick green mist was coming from. 'Potter,' Snape started, hidden by the mist. 'Unwilling as I am to tell you this, I am not willing to see you dead, as much as I would desire it. Headmaster Dumbledore has shown a reluctance to assist you during this tournament, whether you did or did not deliberately enter the tournament. While Dumbledore believes in fairness, I, on this occasion, believe I know better than the Headmaster about what'll happen. Right now, if they haven't already, the heads of the two rival schools will be informing their champions about what will be happening in the First Task.'

'And what will I be facing?'

'You will be facing a highly dangerous magical animal, the dragon.'

Emerald stayed silent for a few seconds, clearly shocked, before, 'what!? Your having me face a fucking dragon? A dragon, as in the big, scaly, flying, fire-breathing, human-eating, virgin-despoiling, great big-fucking-monster, dragons?'

'Essentially, yes.'

'Oh fuck me,' Emerald sighed, rubbing his snake tattoo and turning away from Snape. 'I need a fucking cigarette,' Emerald muttered. Remaining silent for a minute, he turned back to Snape, who had been busy while Emerald was processing the information with the potion. 'So what do you suggest I do?'

Snape looked at him, his eyes unreadable. 'You do realise that I've already violated rules in telling you what the task will be, yes? I have little desire to do anymore that could potentially get me in trouble, and could potentially result without any loss of limb on your behalf. If you want my advice, I suggest you do some work for yourself, go work in the library, do research, hell, I don't' know Potter, do something useful with your damned life!' Snape turned back to his potion. 'You may leave, Potter.'

Emerald glared at Snape, but left quickly. As soon as the door had shut, Snape gripped the side of his cauldron hard, looking up at a picture of the same redheaded woman who guarded the entrance to his door. 'He looks just like you, Lily.' He said sadly to the woman, who giggled and continued to play on the swing in the garden, looking content and happy.

_Contents of letter,_

_From: Emerald_

_To: Sirius Black_

_Dear Sirius,_

_I need a big favour...I need you to go and get me certain items that might be disapproved of in the wizarding world. What I need for you to get is..._

_End letter_

**Day of tournament**

**First task**

Emerald sighed as he heard Bagman state that Viktor Krum had finally finished, leaving Emerald to have his go against the dragon. He chuckled balefully as he got to his feet. 'Someone is going to pay for this...' he promised himself. Taking hold of the package, he walked through the large tunnel until he reached sunlight.

A great roar of cheering and jeering met his ears as he came walked through into the light. As the crowds silenced down, Emerald looked around the stadium, confused. Where the hell was this dragon...? Suddenly, something heavy fell onto his shoulder. Emerald slowly turned his head, and immediately grimaced. There was drool on his shoulder. Emerald made to turn back to looking for the dragon when he froze. How exactly did the drool get onto his shoulder? He suddenly felt another weigh on his other shoulder. When he looked he saw the same thing. All of a sudden, he heard a growl.

'Oh...shit.'

Quick as a flash, Emerald was running already, just as a blaze of fire hit where he had been standing. 'not good, not good, not good,' Emerald muttered as he ran as fast as he could. He ran for the eggs, just as the dragon landed in front of them, its beady eyes staring at Emerald. 'Wrong way, wrong way, wrong way,' Emerald muttered again as he did a 360 degree turn, diving behind a formation of rocks, just as the dragon fired again.

'You want to pla with me? Then let's play,' Emerald muttered as he unveiled the package. He smirked at what he saw. Thank God that Sirius had done something for him. He quickly pulled out a tranquilser dart. He smirked as he loaded it into his gun. He quickly patted the butt of the rifle as he put it on, hoping that it would hit. 'If it can put down an elephant, it can put down a fucking dragon,' he muttered as he aimed at the dragon's head.

'Scream for me, bitch.' Emerald smirked as the dragon opened its mouth to breath fire. 'Got you!' Emerald fired the dart. Emerald lost sight of it as he saw it fly into the dragon's mouth. A few tense seconds took place for Emerald as the dragon appeared confused, shaking its head and licking its nostrils. 'Come on...' Emerald muttered, preparing to load another dart. Suddenly, however, to the complete shock of the crowd, the dragon collapsed onto the ground, completely unconscious.

Emerald, watching the dragon carefully, approached it, careful to avoid the puffs of fire from its nostrils. He sighed relieved as he reached it, patting it casually on the head. 'You were easy,' he muttered in the dragons ear. He made to go for the egg, when he stopped. Smirking, he pulled out a cigarette and held it by the dragon's nostril, letting the fire reach the tip of it. Pulling it back, he smirked as he took a drag.

'Beautiful.'


	15. Do you have a date?

"**Do you have a date for the Yule Ball, Mr. Potter?" "For the hundredth time, Dumbledore, I'm not going with you!"**

**Right, I have no idea how to write a French accent in English, so I'm doing the best I can. Don't bother flaming me because it's so utterly rubbish and unrealistic, because I don't really give a damn about it. However, because I myself am afraid of the complete butchery of the French accent, only Maxime will have the atrocious accent. **

**Right, this chapter is dedicated to my Beta, who is as beautiful as she is as crap. Make what you will of that sentence. Sorry for the long delay in updating, I did intend to finish this sooner, but I just had bad writer's block. Let's hope I've passed it now then, eh?**

The judges all sat in a row, watching Emerald bow and wave his hand with the prestige of a monarch accepting the applause and worship of his subjects at the crowds. Of course, one could not fully blame Emerald for this, as pretty much the whole crowd had gone wild after a minute of what was complete shock as the dragon had been taken out after only half a minute in the arena. Bagman simply stood there, dumbfounded before a nudge from Crouch brought him back into reality.

'Wow, what an amazing –' Bagman started before he realised that his charm had stopped after it hadn't been in use for a minute and his wand had frozen in mid-charm as one of the most dangerous and mightiest dragons in the world, the Hungarian Horntail, had fallen quickly and instantly. '_Sonorus_!' Bagman muttered, feeling his vocal cords expand massively. 'Wow, and an amazing victory there for our resident Mr. Potter!' He felt his voice boom and rise with every word. 'And now, for the judge's deliberation and scores, if you could all be patient folks, we'll have you back in the castle in a few minutes!'

As Bagman cancelled the charm and moved in closer, he heard Karkaroff angrily talking with the other judges. 'The boy didn't even use magic! That clearly is against the rules of the tournament. Not only that, but it destroys the spirit of the game!'

'And what rule would be broken, Karkaroff?' Dumbledore asked, his tone pleasant. 'As far as I know, there is not rule in the book that indicates that you _must _use magic in the tasks. All that it asks is that you show bravery in the first task, intelligence in the second and determination in the third. Whether Mr. Potter did or did not use magic to accomplish the task is of no consequence. And as for destroying the spirit of the game, well...' he gestured to the cheering crowds. 'It looks as though to me that the spirit of the game _has _been accomplished. I must say that I have never seen so many of my pupils so united for the appreciation of a fellow student, even if he is regarded by them as being slightly dark in nature since he was sorted into Slytherin.'

'What I v'ould like to know, Dumbly-dorr, is just 'ow did zis "Emerald" manage to take down ze dragun in ze tournzament. It appears to me zhat some kind of _dark magic _was used.'

'I'd hardly call it dark, Madam Maxime, why, it is simply an ingenious use of a Muggle item.'

'But it wasn't a wand!' Karkaroff snapped. 'A challenger must only bring a wand in the tasks!'

'Actually,' Crouch interrupted. 'That particular rule was never enacted in the rule book. It was only ever heavily emphasised that you only bring a wand to the first task. Never was it said that you absolutely _have _to bring a wand.''

'But even so,' Karkaroff continued. 'It's tradition! Surely you won't allow it, Madam Maxime?' He appealed to the large woman, who regarded him coldly.

'I edmit vat it es...unusual. 'Owever, I believe vat the decision lies with Monsieur Crouch. Therevore, I shall give way to 'is word. I accept "Emerald's" use of ze Muggle item.'

Dumbledore smiled disarmingly at Karkaroff. 'Well, it appears that Madam Maxime has no problem, as nor do I. I'm afraid, Karkaroff, that you are outnumbered in this case. Mr. Potter has passed the First Task, and will be awarded the correct amount of points that each of us believes to be correct. Now, shall we go through the pros and cons of Mr. Potter's performance?'

Madam Maxime nodded slowly, while Karkaroff sneered in response, but didn't say anything to object. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. 'Very well then. Mr. Potter received no injuries. However, I do believe that he wasted time at the start by not utilising his remarkable Muggle weapon. In short, I daresay he ran around like a "headless chicken".' He smiled harmlessly at the other judges. 'Have I missed anything, would you say?'

The other judges shook their heads in denial, even Karkaroff finding nothing else to criticise. 'Very well then, let us present our scores.'

Madam Maxine was the first up to the stand, her wand out of her holster and in her hand. She pointed it up, waving it as sparks flew out of the tip of the wand and formed a number. _Eight_! Mr. Crouch came next, his wand also in his hand. _Nine_! Dumbledore followed them, his wand in the air. _Nine_! Bagman followed next, his beaming smile on his face. _Ten_! The other judges looked at Bagman in surprise, but didn't say anything. Finally, Karkaroff followed up. _Six_! The other judges looked at him, offended by his low score. Karkaroff merely shrugged, his expression one of "do I look as though I care?"

The applause of the crowd thundering through the stands, the loudest coming from Hogwarts, Emerald left the large stadium, his arms in the air. He grinned at the nurse who came over to him as soon as he'd entered the tent again. Diggory was wrapped in bandages on one half of his face. He gave Emerald a wave as he entered.

'Hey Emerald,' Cedric said in a raspy voice. 'How'd you do?'

Emerald smiled smugly at Cedric. '42 points.'

Cedric gave a half-smile back. 'They only gave me 33, probably because of this.' He gestured towards his bandaged face.

Emerald winced. 'What happened to you then?'

Cedric also winced as he touched it lightly. 'Dragon burnt it when I went for the egg.' He patted the egg next to him on a stool, looking at it curiously. Emerald looked at his own, examining it. The egg was fully smooth with only a small crack around the sides where presumably you opened it. Emerald made to do so when Cedric suddenly gave a start. 'No! Don't open it!'

Emerald looked at Cedric curiously. 'Why not?' He asked cautiously, looking at the egg suspiciously. 'Is there something wrong with it?'

'Nothing, nothing at all, that is, unless you want to have a splitting headache.' Cedric remarked, smiling at Emerald.

'What?' Emerald asked in confusion, looking at the egg. He spun it around, looking for anything that might make it dangerous. 'What's wrong with it?'

'If you open it, it screams.'

Emerald looked at Cedric blankly. 'It...screams?'

'That's what I said,' Cedric said darkly. 'I just opened it now, and I closed it immediately a second after. It's...'

After a few seconds silence, Emerald snapped, 'It's what?'

Cedric shot Emerald an annoyed glance. 'It's like a banshee...its voice just cuts through you. It's horrible.'

Emerald shrugged, looking at the egg cautiously, but not looking worried. 'So what do you think you're going to do for it then?'

Cedric shrugged. 'I think I'll start by...' his voice drifted as he suddenly started glaring at Emerald. 'Trying to get me to tell you what to do, Emerald?'

Emerald looked at him, his face looking shocked and innocent. His hand went to his heart and he gasped. 'Why...Cedric...you really...you really think that badly of me...' His bottom lip trembled, and he backed away slowly. Cedric started to look guilty, not looking in Emerald's eyes. 'I...I would've thought that...that you at least might...might trust me.' He voice cracked at the last word, and he faced away from Cedric.

Cedric looked suitably guilty looking, looking awkwardly at the ground and scratching his bandage slightly, wincing at the touch. He looked once at Emerald, before looking back at the ground. 'Emerald...' Cedric started to say hesitantly. Emerald refused to look at him, still facing away towards the tent wall. 'I'm...I'm really sorry.' Cedric said, starting to look desperate. 'I didn't mean to upset you!' Emerald still refused to look at him. 'Emerald, please!'

'Will you give me a clue...?' Emerald asked, his voice low and meek.

Cedric looked hesitant for a few seconds, before he relented. 'Fine. Don't tell the others though, please.'

'Of course I wouldn't. Those foreigners don't need more help than we do. We're British mate, the best country in the world! And there they are, coming over to our country, taking our women and/or men. It's a disgrace is what it is!'

Cedric looked slightly worried at that, but shook it off. 'If you say so,' he said neutrally. 'Well, I was going to use the four elements on it.'

'Which are?'

'Fire, water, earth and air.'

'Nice strategy,' Emerald said as he stood up.

'Where are you off to now?'

'Oh please, like I can be bothered to stay here? I have more important and better things to do with my time than simply staying here for the nurse to give me a check-up that would show nothing. 'Sides, surely you don't want my company?' Without waiting for an answer, Emerald left the tent, pushing the flap open and letting it close.

Cedric sighed, shaking his head in slight despair. 'Why did he have to come _this _year?' He asked, looking at the ceiling of the tent, receiving a strange look from Pomfrey as she bustled into the tent, her arms filled with potions and fresh bandages.

------------------------------

Emerald, hiding by the corner adjacent to a corridor, quickly snapped his head out, looking around to see if anyone was there before snapping it quickly. It was clear. Moving quickly and staying low, Emerald quickly ran forward through the corridor, spending only a few seconds looking around each corner, heading for one specific location.

To sanctuary.

Already, he had bypassed several groups of the enemy groups, all with one target in mind. Emerald. It was a terrifying experience for Emerald, being hunted down. The enemy units were everywhere, about half of the school population were after him, ranging from ages 11-17. Bloody Dumbledore, Emerald thought as he ran passed another group, all of whom were looking the other way. He just had to go and announce it, didn't he? He couldn't give a person a warning, or even a few minutes to run.

Suddenly, he ran into a solid object, knocking him back slightly, but remaining on his legs. Looking up, his eyes widened as he took in who it was.

_The enemy__._

The group of girls looked at him in shock and awe, before approaching him slowly.

'Oh, hells no.' Emerald swore as he turned and ran, sparks almost being ignited by the friction caused by his running.

'There he is!' Another group of girls caught sight of him. Soon, what seemed like every girl in the entire bloody castle was running after him. Emerald ran passed various boys, watching in astonishment before they were engulfed by the tide of girls running past, either knocked off of their feet, or were dragged along for a few feet before being discarded. It didn't need saying that more than a few boys would be taken to the hospital wing before the day was out. It wasn't until Emerald had finally hidden himself in a broom cupboard that he had finally lost the pack of girls. When he finally made it to the Slytherin common room, he swore viciously as he stalked upstairs, ignoring the various looks from Slytherin students at him.

As he entered his dorm room, he froze at the sight on his bed. Draco was lying on Emerald's bed, casually flipping through a magazine. Looking side to side cautiously, Emerald approached his bed, Draco glancing up in acknowledgement of Emerald's approach.

'Draco,' Emerald started, sighing and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. 'If this is some attempt to proposition me into your oh so wicked ways, I advise you find a better way to do it. I'm just not that kinda boy. Now, if you tried your two boys,' he waved in the direction of Crabbe and Goyle's beds, 'I'm sure you'd find more than willing participants in your little games.'

Draco shuddered dramatically. 'Why come now, Emerald. You know as well as I do that I can _clearly _get anyone I want into my bed with just the bare amount of minimum effort.' He examined his nails with mild disinterest.

'Oh really?' Emerald reached the side of his bed. 'Then go get someone into _your _bed.' He quickly shoved Draco off of his bed, smirking as he jumped onto the bed, lying on his side, regarding Draco with amusement as he regarded the flushed boy as he scrambled off of the floor, glaring at Emerald, who smirked at him. 'What's the matter Drakie boy? Haven't you got anyone to get into your bed with?'

'Sod off!' Draco returned angrily, his hands going to his hair in an attempt to smooth down his hair into its original implacable form. ''Sides, from what I've heard, I don't need to. All that I need to do is just hang around you, and pick up the girls as they are oh so cruelly rejected by the _infamous _and _dangerous Harry Potter_.'

'Fuck off, Draco!' Emerald snapped at him, raising his body by his elbow to face him. 'You call me by that name again, and I swear...you know that pretty little nose of yours? I'll break it in half. Do you get me?'

Draco waved his hands in disinterest, moving to his own bed and lying down on it, turning towards Emerald. 'Whatever. The point still stands though that basically every girl is gunning for you, especially after that piece of _lost and forbidden _magic that you used against that dragon during the First Task.'

'Like I told you, Draco, and practically every other damned person who dares to ask me what I did, I used a Muggle weapon to accomplish the task.'

'And like anyone believes that? Even _if _I did, practically the whole school refuses to believe that a Muggle weapon has the power to take down a great big dragon. You'll get used to it, Emerald. Basically, the whole world will believe what it wants to believe rather than what is actually there. If they think its powerful magic, then they'll say its powerful magic, no matter what evidence points elsewhere. Even I have huge doubts about your story about a Muggle weapon being able to take down a dragon. It just doesn't make sense to me that those..._people _have the power to do something like that. We're better than Muggles are!'

'Why, because you have an ability that Muggles don't?'

'Exactly!'

'Christ, Draco, you do realise that that could apply to practically anyone? Child geniuses? People with perfect vision? Hell, Draco, you need to realise that no matter how good you are, there will always be someone better than you, no matter what it is. If Muggles wanted, they could literally destroy the entire earth with their weapons.'

'I don't believe that. Not even the Dark Lord has that power, not that he'd want to, anyway. Besides, why would anyone want to destroy the earth?'

'Believe what you want, Draco, but the point remains that Muggles are much more better than wizards are at killing each other. You may have magic, but we have guns. We have bullets. Hell, we have me!'

'And once again, it relates back to you.'

'Exactly! Because I'm the best!'

'Didn't you just tell me that there will always be someone better?'

'Doesn't apply to me, because I'm simply the best. God, Draco, keep up already.'

Draco rolled his eyes as he sat up. 'Emerald, I swear you are going to get knocked down so bad one day.'

Emerald smirked. 'Bring it on.'

'Whatever. Anyway, I'd take care if I were you tomorrow. Hogsmeade trip and all that. You know it's the perfect place for the girls to ambush you, although Merlin knows why...'

'Dickhead,' Emerald chuckled as he sat up as well, 'just because I'm more attractive than you in practically every way. It's a hard thing, jealously, Draco. You'll get over it one day, don't worry. And besides, what could happen to me in Hogsmeade? I mean, seriously, the only things I'll have to worry about are groups of girls.'

'Death Eaters?'

Emerald regarded Draco seriously, 'Draco, I may not count myself as being the smartest person in the world, but I do know some strategy. It would be suicide for an attack on Hogsmeade so close to the school and the Aurors. I think that I'll be safe.'

Draco shrugged, 'The thing is though, Emerald, is that before you came here, the Death Eaters practically ruled Slytherin indirectly through their children. Now that you're here, though, they seemed to have stopped. It's not right, and I think they're plotting something.'

'And who might those children of Death Eaters be?'

Draco shrugged noncommittally. 'Like I'm going to tell you, Emerald. I like you and all, but I'm planning on joining the winning side, not the losing one.'

Emerald shrugged. 'At least you're acting like a Slytherin, for once.'

'Dick.'

'Nob.'

----------------------------

'Hey Emerald,' the girl said in what she imagined to be a sexy voice. 'Whatcha doing?'

'Busy, go away.' Emerald grunted, leafing casually through a magazine, reading it without much interest.

'Come on Emerald, I'm sure that I can...divert your interest elsewhere...' The girl finished it up with a wink and a small giggle.

Emerald sighed heavily, putting down his magazine and looking at the girl in slight anger. 'Right, number one, your only 13 years old, and I'm not into that kind of shit. Number two, I don't think you're attractive. Number three, you don't have the "goods" to interest me, and number four...well, I may not have a number four at the moment, but stick around and I'll give you five, six and seven as well.'

As Emerald turned away, not bothering to acknowledge the girl whose bottom lip had shot out and her eyes were watering with unshed tears; he noted several other girls cluster sympathetically around the girl he had just shot down badly. A group of other boys who were hanging out in front of a place called "The Three Broomsticks" glared at Emerald angrily, a mix of red, yellow and blue colours all mixed together. As Emerald continued walking down the street, a Slytherin boy suddenly joined him, grinning at the group behind him, flipping them an obscene sign with his middle finger. Emerald glanced at him, uninterested.

'What do you want?'

Looking back behind him, the Slytherin gave a slow but meaningful smirk at him. 'Just thought I'd give you a warning'

'Oh yeah?'

'You've basically got half the castle after your guts, Potter. You've created ripples in the waters of Hogwarts, and the waves are threatening to drown you.'

'What do you mean? What ripples?'

The Slytherin gestured to the various groups of girls that watched them carefully, before pointing at another group of lads, this time mainly made up of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor male students. 'You've basically got every girl in Hogwarts infatuated with you. And since you're not actually taking anyone to the dance as of yet, you've got practically every girl leaving their choice of partner until the last minute in hopes that they will catch your attention and go to the Ball with you.'

'S'not my problem. If they want to delude themselves that I'm going to ask one of them to the ball, then it's their problem.'

The Slytherin shrugged. 'It is your problem if every guy is after your blood for causing practically every girl to turn them down in exchange for the hope of going with you. I'm only telling you this because you're a Slytherin, and Slytherin always sticks with its members, especially if they have something to offer to the House.' He looked up and down the street, gripping Emerald's shoulder as he whispered into his ear, 'not all of us are for the Dark Lord.' Emerald regarded the Slytherin with cool interest as the grip on his shoulder was removed, and the Slytherin walked away, casting a glance left and right.

Emerald did the same, glancing left and right, taking in the various wizards and witches who stood at the corners of streets, dressed in white robes, their hands never far away from their wands as they watched the students carefully. Emerald had seen a few of them before during the attack at his home by the "Crazies". They belonged to Dumbledore's Order, and were meant to be professionals, fighting Voldemort ever since his return. Emerald wasn't too clear on the details, as he was clear on the fact that he would not be involved in the fighting unless it affected him or anything he valued. Of course, more recently, he had begun to feel more and more wary in the Slytherin common room. Before the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, most of Slytherin ignored Emerald. However, now it was different. Various groups of different Slytherins had come together, mainly those of upper years, Year 7 and 6. Emerald couldn't say for sure, but he was fairly certain that he was the main subject of their discussions, backing it up with having heard his name mentioned once or twice, and various looks towards him.

Therefore, it was starting to become clear that the war was starting to reach him, in one form or another. There was a reason that Slytherin was known as a dark house, mainly thanks to its more recent members having joined Voldemort in the last war. This meant that it was more likely that other members in Slytherin were planning to join Voldemort, or were already in his service. For some unknown reason, they hadn't made a move against him, but now...something had changed...and it didn't sit well with Emerald.

Suddenly, just as Emerald walked into another street, he felt his coat gripped by the back of the neck, and was yanked quickly into an alleyway, where he felt a wand touch the skin of his throat. 'Don't move an inch.' A rusty deep voice, which obviously belonged to a man, said 'Move and I'll kill you where you stand.' Emerald remained still as the man quickly put something in his pocket. '_Pureblood_,' the man said, and immediately after Emerald felt his feet suddenly leave the ground, and fell into a whirlwind, his body spinning around, his neck still being gripped by the man.

-------------------


	16. End of the line?

**End of the line?**

**By Kaeim (writer)**

By P.R.M.A.S (Beta)

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, by the way, I'd like to thank all of you 30ish people who reviewed for the First Task. That was literally the most reviews I've ever received. I'd like to thank you all personally, but that would just be wasting valuable space. Oh, and the fact I can't be bothered to write all of your names. But the sentiment is still appreciated!**

Translation: He's just too lazy…

**Right, big heads up to a favourite reviewer of mine, Fightingrose. **

(Mine too… Awesome Ideas….)

**Love your reviews, keep writing decent ones (or else...)**

Ya like you could/would do anything…

**Also, lukewarm thanks to my Beta, P.R.M.A.S, who is as clever as she is ugly. Make of that what you will. **(Why do I put up w/ this abuse???)

**You may recognise an OC character in this chapter, who can be recognised from the game "Bully". I don't own her character; I'm merely using her for my own entertainment. In addition, I don't own any of the "clique gangs". Therefore, if you haven't understood it yet, I don't own anything from the game, Bully, nor from the Harry Potter series (not that I'd want to, seriously, terrible pairings and plot ideas. We should have Emerald in them; he'd just shoot every little problem in his way...now that's a story! Goodbye crazy fangirls (cough, Ginny, cough) and manipulative people (cough, Dumbledore, cough))**

-Yet our wonderful author is a fan girl too… Pretty crazy 'bout Muggle OC/HP stories…. Even though he's not a girl…. So I have been lead to believe…

**That's a lie and you bloody well know it, you insolent Beta. Yes, I may love Muggle OC/HP stories, but that does not mean that I'm a girl! –stamps foot like Draco Malfoy when his mummy takes away his teddybear- I promise you, anyone who calls me a girl is going to be mocked by Emerald. Capiche?**

------------------------

Suddenly, just as Emerald walked into another street, he felt his coat gripped by the back of the neck, and was yanked quickly into an alleyway, where he felt a wand touch the skin of his throat. 'Don't move an inch.' A rusty deep voice, which obviously belonged to a man, said 'Move and I'll kill you where you stand.' Emerald remained still as the man quickly put something in his pocket. '_Pureblood_,' the man said, and immediately after Emerald felt his feet suddenly leave the ground, and fell into a whirlwind, his body spinning around, his neck still being gripped by the man.

-------------------

Emerald fell to the ground, with a bump, face-down. He groaned quickly as he assessed the position he was currently in. Having just a few seconds before been at Hogsmeade, he had just been attacked and sent somewhere currently unknown. The enemy, who he assumed to be a Death Eater, had ambushed him. All of these things flashed through Emerald's mind in an instant, but the one most important thing that stuck out amongst all these was the simple fact that the _Death Eater's wand was no longer on his throat_.

Emerald reacted instantly, his foot lashing out and connecting with the shin of the Death Eater. A grunt was the reward Emerald received as the Death Eater, losing his balance, fell on top of Emerald, where instantly a fight for control took place.

The Death Eater's elbow went around Emerald's neck, and tightened in an attempt to squeeze the life out of him. Emerald, snarling like a savage animal, bit down as hard as he could on the arm of the Death Eater, causing the Death Eater to shriek as Emerald felt wetness between his teeth, and a sharp, tangy, metallic taste flooded through his mouth. As the pressure lightened off of Emerald's throat, Emerald knocked his head backwards, connected with the face of the Death Eater, who squealed as Emerald knocked his head back again, _once, twice, thrice_.

As the Death Eater attempted to place his arm around Emerald's throat again, Emerald quickly rolled onto his back; his fist rose and quickly landed with an audible crunch onto the man's face, where Emerald presumed his nose to be. While the Death Eater clutched his nose, Emerald savagely kicked him away from him, giving him valuable time to position himself.

Just as Emerald had gotten onto his feet, the Death Eater, presumably having gotten past the pain of his face, launched himself at Emerald, only to be met again by a fist in his throat. The Death Eater gargled as his throat met an unbreakable wall of muscle and flesh, his throat instantly folding in on itself, cutting off his airways choking him. The Death Eater collapsed to the ground, a hand to his throat massaging it as his other hand fumbled in his pocket. Emerald reacted quickly as he grabbed the Death Eater's wrist that was showing out of his pocket, grasping it firmly and pulling it out, revealing the hand attached to the wrist holding onto a wand. The Death Eater's eyes glinted triumphantly as he pointed the wand at Emerald.

'_Stupefy_!' A red light shot out of the wand, Emerald only ducking just in time for it to pass over his head by a centimetre. The wand moved to point at him again, but by this time, Emerald was already moving. He launched himself at the wand, the Death Eater's lips just starting to move into an incantation of another spell. It all came down to this.

Emerald gasped triumphantly as his fingers clenched around the wand, pointing it away from him just as the Death Eater finished his incantation, the spell firing into the air. Emerald's other fist lashed out, connected once again with the Death Eater's face, who was knocked back. Emerald kept a tight hold of the wand, dragging it towards him and literally snatching it out of the Death Eater's arm, before he threw it behind him, reaching into his own pocket and pulling out his own weapon.

A gun.

Dumbledore and the Order, to their ultimate stupidity, had never removed Emerald's weapon after his home was attacked, and he went to rescue Rick and Shell from the "Crazies". It was a mistake that Emerald was particular proud of. It gave him a weapon that practically no one else had in the Wizarding World, and as far as he was concerned, was better than any other weapon that they possessed. He had another two clip's worth of ammunition, and he had lovingly cleaned the gun at least once a week while he had been at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, it hadn't been used while at Hogwarts, and hadn't been since the attack. However, that would change.

The gun, already in Emerald's hands, fired once point-blank into the Death Eater's chest, a mini-explosion of blood erupting from the back of the Death Eater, splattering on the wall behind him, followed a second later by the dead body that slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood behind it.

Emerald panted heavily as he took in the body of the dead Death Eater. Turning his back on it, he started to look around where he was. In the background was the noise of cars, a huge amount of cars by the amount of honking and beeping going on. Around him was a bog-standard alleyway, accompanied with the usual bins and traces of sleeping places, where previous tramps had stayed when they could go nowhere else. Suddenly, Emerald heard shouting ahead of him in the direction of the cars. Obviously, someone had heard the gunshots, and had taken it upon themselves to be a "good person" and investigate what had happened. Emerald sneered slightly, before realising that it was a hopeless position to be in. Emerald had no intention of being found there, either by "Muggles" or Wizards.

He quickly turned around, running out of the alleyway in the opposite direction to where the shouting had been going on. He immediately made an assessment of what he had to do first. There was no way in hell that he was going back to that bloody headmaster. Already, he had been attacked by a dragon, and that was only in his first term of school! Not to mention that the one place he regarded as being a home to him had been attacked. So, his priority was to find out where he was, if possible, find Rick and Shell before the wizards finally figured that he had disappeared and get out of the bloody country. Anywhere would be good enough at the moment, even France! Of course, there was the problem of the foreigners, but that could be tolerated, as long as it was an English-speaking country he went too. Maybe Rick and Shell could go with him...they could restart everything in their lives, make it better. They could restart the gang, begin from scratch. There was nothing that they couldn't do if they tried! Emerald would be away from those Wizards, their little war, and away from creepy headmasters and schools that made no sense. It was quite amusing, Emerald had to admit, and sometimes it was cool to use magic, but in the end, it was Muggle or nothing for Emerald.

His line of thought ended when he made it out of the alleyway into a busy street. Emerald frowned as he looked around. No, he didn't recognise this place at all. He walked towards a vendor selling hotdogs, fishing about in his pocket for some money, pulling out one of the few valuable fivers that he had left. Most of his other money was various coins that Sirius had given him in his letters. He cursed mentally as he realised that he had left his stash of alcohol and fags back at Hogwarts, before shrugging, figuring that he could always get some more later.

'Heyup,' he acknowledged the girl in her early twenties at the vendor, smiling at her, noting with pleasure the blush that came up onto her face, as she looked him up and down. 'Can I get a quarter pounder please?' He pointed at a picture of a burger. She nodded, smirking.

When she returned with Emerald's burger, she couldn't help but snigger at him, looking below his waist. Emerald looked confused for an instant, looking down to where she was looking before swearing. He was still wearing his fucking robes! While as a rule he normally didn't wear them, he had unfortunately run out of clean clothes, and had been forced into scrounging in Malfoy's wardrobe...without his knowledge of course. He looked back at the girl, a slight blush on his face.

'Fancy dress party or something?' She remarked, taking the fiver into her hand and passing him the change with the burger.

Emerald smiled at her, 'you could say it was something like that.' He looked up and down the street before looking back at the girl. 'Um...this is going to sound really daft and all that, but could you tell me where we are?'

'We're at Victor Lane, sweetie.'

Emerald rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, a defiant blush on his face. 'Yeah, I meant a bit more general...' Looking at the girl's face, crinkled in bemusement, Emerald sighed. 'I mean what city are we in?'

The girl quickly broke out into giggles, looking at Emerald as though he had grown at the end of a garden underneath a rock. 'You...you don't know what city we're in?' She continued to giggle, looking at Emerald in amusement.

'Yeah...well...I had too much to drink last night.'

'And what might've that been, a coke?'

'Piss off then.' Emerald snapped, turning away from the girl and back into the maze of alleyways. Right, new priorities were set. First, get some bloody clothes that weren't Scottish! Bloody foreign dress...

--------------------------

Right, Emerald thought with determination. It was time to get the hell out of here, whether here was, anyway. Already, it had been several hours since he had been grabbed by the man, and it was starting to get dark. Whether Dumbledore had finally discovered his disappearance from Hogsmeade was a question that Emerald sincerely hoped hadn't been answered in the affirmative yet. He was still more or less in the same area that he had been taken to earlier. Still, at least he had gotten rid of those damned robes of his. It had taken a while, but he had escaped the angry dog that chased him after he had snatched clothes from a washing line hanging outside in a garden after Emerald had found himself in an estate of houses.

In fact, the whole damn place seemed to be one great big council estate. He had run from one estate to another one. He glanced around, continuing to move, hoping to find at the very least something that would tell him what bloody city he was in! Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but concrete as far as the eye could see. Concrete walls, concrete pavements, concrete houses, concrete roads, hell, if he looked hard enough, he'd probably find concrete people! There was literally no grass or vegetation of any kind, bar a few weeds in the cracks of the pavement, all brown and dried up. Various groups of teenagers hung around the large blocks of flats, most of the groups dressed in different clothing to the other groups, but the same in their own groups.

Emerald wandered around the estates, occasionally avoiding one of the groups, ignoring their stares and muttering as he passed them. He passed several people as he wandered along the balconies of the buildings, idly gazing at the concrete flats. What was he to do? He didn't even know where he was; let alone where he could go. Every minute he spent here was another moment in which Dumbledore would get closer and closer to finding out where he was. The sun was nearly down now; it would probably be time for dinner to be served in the Great Hall. He idly wondered what Daphne and Draco would do if they discovered he was gone. Probably assume he was with the other person, or was off on his own, as he was sometimes apt to do.

Suddenly, his attention was grabbed by a red-headed girl who sat on the wall opposite an open door, out of which the blaring sounds of a TV erupted. She glanced at him, chewing gum, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him fully.

'What are you looking at?' Her eyes were focused on Emerald. Emerald deliberately stopped in his tracks, looking her up and down, taking her in.

She was clearly dressed punk wise. She wore a white tank-top T-shirt, a black skull on its front. As he gaze went further down, he took in the miniskirt that apparently showed no sign of the cold. Added to that were a pair of boots that went up to her calves.

He looked up, smirking at her. 'Nothing.'

'Oh yeah?' She got off of the wall, approaching Emerald. 'Well it looks as though you're looking at me.'

'Like I said, nothing.'

Her eyebrows rose as she came closer, her fist clenching. Emerald held up his hands, waving her down. 'Hey, hey, sorry, alright! Christ, take a joke, can't you?'

The girl halted, looking at Emerald, taking in his appearance. Emerald appeared to pass some sort of test with her, because she nodded to herself. She stopped just in front of him, looking at him. 'I'm Zoe.'

'Emerald.'

'Emerald? Weird name.'

'It's the one I use.'

She shrugged, 'whatever, everyone has their own secrets. You can keep your own, s'no big deal.'

Emerald cocked an eyebrow at her in amusement. 'Indeed,' he simply said, regarding her with interest.

The two of them stayed where they were for a while, both watching each other with wary curiosity. Zoe's eyes in particular often returned to Emerald's tattoo, while Emerald simply scanned her body with his eyes. Finally, it was Zoe that put a stop to it.

'So then...any particular reason that you're wandering around the estate?'

Emerald simply shrugged. 'No particular reason. I just thought I'd go for a wander, y'know?'

Zoe smiled with amusement, 'can't say that I do, really. So do you live nearby or something? I don't recognise you.'

Emerald shook his head. 'Nah, you wouldn't. I got kicked out of my place,' Emerald quickly invented the lie, allowing it to slip out of his mouth without hesitation.

Zoe regarded him with some amusement and sympathy. 'Let me guess, parent?'

'Nah, they died when I was young.'

Zoe shrugged, 'sorry,' she said, not sounding it. She suddenly looked at him with more interest. 'So, ain't you got nowhere to stay then, like?'

Emerald shook his head, 'nah, ain't got a place to go to. Still, I'll be alright. I usually manage well enough. It's happened before, see.' He suddenly regarded Zoe with an interested eye. 'You, uh, wouldn't be offering a place to stay the night, would you?'

Zoe stretched, her body going to its full height. 'Mm...maybe. If you prove yourself worthy.'

Emerald swaggered towards Zoe, a smirk on his face. 'And, uh, what might I be able to do to prove myself...worthy?'

Zoe backed away, her face crinkled with amusement and disgust. 'Don't be an idiot, Emerald. I have little need of those kind of...talents of yours. No, I think I can find uses for you elsewhere.'

'Which might be?'

'There's a raid going on tonight, maybe you'll be interested in participating.'

Emerald scratched his head, looking thoughtful. 'So, if I help you beat up a load of people, you'll let me stay at your place for the night.'

'Basically, yeah. S'up to you, you interested?'

Emerald nodded, 'yeah, sounds alright. What's the background then?'

Zoe rolled her eyes, 'where to start? Well, there are basically four different groups around here, nicknamed Preps, Townies, Bullies and Greasers. The Preps are basically rich kids not from around here looking for some fun with us "lower classes". They're basically pricks who live off of their daddy's money. Townies are kids who basically just hang around town, messing around. We do what we want mostly. The Bullies are kids who think they're hard, and spend their time beating up people weaker than they are. And the Greasers are basically just kid throwbacks from the 1950s. They want to become engineers, or plumbers, or something like that.'

'And can I assume then that you're a Townie?'

'Good call, keep it up and you'll go far here. Anyway, recently, some Greasers attacked one of us Townies, robbing the money that was meant to go and buy us all some food from the pizza place. That's about £50 down the line, and we want it back. We're going to raid a house of theirs. There's about twenty of us going to attack, and we think there's around the same number in the house as well.'

'So, you're basically going for the old attack and rob them?'

'It's old, it's traditional and it's effective.'

'Sounds good to me. I only have one question.'

'Which is?'

'Will there be alcohol?'

**Omake 0.1**

**When Dumbledore asked the twins of Emerald's whereabouts**

'Good morning, Mr. and Mr. Weasley.'

'Hello, Headmaster!'

'Spiffing to see you again, Headmaster!'

'Yes, quite. Now, I was wondering whether the two of you knew Mr. Potter's whereabouts.'

'Mr. Potter? Fred, do you know?'

'Can't say I do, George.'

'You wouldn't be lying to me now, would you, old boy?'

'Old? How dare you! I'm as young as the day I was born, and handsome to boot!'

'Well, if you favour physical age over mental...'

'How dare you, George! I'm insulted by your insinuation!'

'Are you starting something?'

'Damned right I am!'

'Then I shall slap you with my glove, have at thee, sir!'

**Omake 0.2**

**When Dumbledore asked Ginny of Emerald's whereabouts**

'Ah, miss Weasley. Come in, come in.'

'Thank you headmaster.'

'Now, would you know where Mr. Potter is, today?'

'Ahh...Emerald...'

'Miss...Miss Weasley?'

'Oh, I'm so sorry Headmaster, I was busy thinking about Emerald...hmm...Emerald...'

'No, Miss...Miss Weasley, you're doing it again. Miss Weasley? Miss Weasley?


	17. A dilemma

**Harry Potter and the Forced Hero**

**Problems and dilemmas**

**Well...what can I say? It's been quite a while since I updated last. I could bore you all with my heartfelt apologies, and get on my knees and beg for your mercy, but let's face it, a simply "I'm sorry" will do. Basically, I was hit with really bad writer's block. I didn't have a storyline for this chapter, I was simply staring at a blank piece of paper**

_**However**_**! You can thank one person in particular for helping me out with the storyline for this chapter. It'll definitely affect the Forced Hero Rewrite in several ways plot-wise. Don't forget, people, I don't plan my chapters; I let my imagination do the work. So any comments on what you'd like to happen may just find their way into that wacky imagination of mine and end up in next chapter. So please, don't hesitate to tell me, whether in a Review or in a PM.**

**Btw, one reviewer asked me an interesting question. Why was Emerald really against foreigners if he's anti-racist? My answer to that is that he isn't, he's just xenophobic (not against coloured people, just against people from foreign countries, eg, France, America. Thank you for your question Fugatad.**

**In addition, I have a question for you all in the shape and form of a new poll on my profile page. All your votes for Emerald's pairing were acknowledged. I have now officially decided a pairing. However, if it does make the story too crap, please tell me and I can adjust it. Don't expect all rainbows and sunshine where Emerald's concerned as well. If you really think about Emerald, you can see a lot of problems and potential problems, some of which will affect him in the fiction later.**

This was madness, was the thought that were coming to Emerald as he watched idly the battle going on in front of his eyes. Only a few minutes before, everything had been nice and quiet, the house had been occupied by around twenty Greasers, there had been music going on in the background, and then?

They had come.

Around 30 Townies, as they liked to call themselves. That was 30 people, Emerald included, all lustful for a fight. And they had definitely found one.

Armed with baseball bats and their raw fists, they had charged into the building, launching themselves at anything and anyone they deemed to be an enemy. Emerald, on the other hand, instead of charging at the enemy, had immediately looked for the bar. No doubt he was probably becoming addicted to alcohol, but he just didn't really care anymore, Emerald mused as he took a sip of his beer, leaning on the bar, watching the fight. A baseball bat, having been torn from its owner and thrown in his direction, only just missed him as it hit the wall just above his head. Emerald raised an eyeball in mild interest, taking a gulp from his bottle. He swished it experimentally, frowning as he did so. 'Hmm, looks like I'm out,' he muttered to himself. He shrugged, throwing the bottle into the crowd and pulled out another one from underneath the bar.

'Emerald!' He suddenly heard Zoe scream at him. 'Will you get into the goddamned fight already?'

'I am!' He yelled back at her, 'did you not see the bottle?'

'What bottle?'

'This bottle!' Emerald threw the bottle he was holding in the direction of Zoe's voice.

'You cunt!'

'Takes one to know one.' Emerald smirked and made to take a gulp of his beer, before realising that he had just thrown the bottle away. 'Shit...' Emerald swore, reaching down for another one, but found nothing. Emerald simply sighed, leaning his head on his elbow, watching the fight. He chuckled as he watched two girls go at each other, fighting each other. Catfights, he snorted mentally, making another check for alcohol. He sighed deeply as once again he found nothing. Hopefully, Zoe would have alcohol at her place. He grabbed one of the unconscious people's arms who were on the floor at the bar, checking the watch on the person's wrist. Hopefully, this little fight wouldn't take too long. Then again, it would most likely be his luck that it would.

----------

Zoe sat on a chair, holding an ice-pack to her right eye, wearing a huge grin on her face as she acted out one of her fights with her free hand. Emerald was sat opposite to her, a smile on his face, listening her exaggerate the key parts of the fight, sometimes acting them out, gesturing with her hands. A half-empty bottle of vodka was perched on the table next to her, constantly grabbed and sipped down by Zoe.

It wasn't long until Zoe, half asleep, waved a hand blearily as she made her way to her bedroom. Emerald remained where he was, draining a bottle of beer, watching the vodka bottle carefully, as though his mind wasn't yet made up. He shook his head suddenly, grabbing a half-full packet of cigarettes and walked outside of the flat house.

He leant against the concrete wall that looked outside of the flats. Dumping the packet on the wall next to him, he sighed deeply, pulling out one of the cigarettes and lit it with a lighter. He took a deep drag of it, flicking off the ashes down below him. He watched the bright lights of the other flats surrounding him, their lights drowning out the night sky, its twinkling stars hidden underneath the bright lights of the city. It was odd, but Emerald enjoyed watching the night. It was cold and deadly beautiful. It hid its enemies and its allies, striking from the shadows. Yes, the Dark was a glorious thing. It was little wonder that people did fear it. From the East, the tips of the sunrise emerged from the dark gloom. The time of the night was beginning to fall, and light would emerge again, only to fall. A never ending pattern that would continue regardless of anything. Emerald smiled suddenly, a true honest smile. Since when had he got all philosophical? He suddenly felt as though he was being watched by old and gloriously great gods, their eyes all cast towards Emerald. Emerald raised the almost empty bottle of beer.

'To the gods,' Emerald said suddenly, his eyes looking towards the flare of the light. 'May you remain strong and true, and may you never be forgotten.'

'A worthy toast, Mr. Potter.' A voice suddenly said out of the dark.

Emerald spun around suddenly, his forgotten cigarette falling to the ground, and his bottle falling off of the ledge as he accidently knocked it with his arm. It fell to the ground below, smashing apart with a loud crash. He looked at the man, suddenly feeling naked without a weapon.

'What do you want?' Emerald said, crouched slightly in a show of aggression.

'Now that,' the man walked into the dim light. Dressed in dark robes and a wand in his hand, the man's pale face regarded Emerald with interest. 'That is a very interesting question, Mr. Potter. What do I want? I could say that, for example, I wanted to be incredibly rich. I could want great power. I could have _freedom_. But to say any of those things would quite honestly be a lie, Mr. Potter. But _you_, on the other hand, correct me if I am wrong, are very much interested in at least one of the three things I mentioned, yes?'

Emerald watched carefully as the man looked Emerald up and down. 'You could say that,' he said, watching the man suspiciously. 'But then you could also say that I would like to see my enemies' dead. And on that subject, you are just as much an enemy as others, at the moment. I do not appreciate wizardkind, you see. Couldn't give a damn if they killed each other with their little war. It's not my business, all I want is to do what I like. If I have to use force to achieve those methods, then I will. So tell me, _wizard_,' he spat the last word. 'What does Dumbledore want from me this time?'

'Oh I rather imagine that Dumbledore would like a lot of things, no doubt the elimination of my Lord, as a start. But unfortunately for him, that is impossible. And so he has resorted to kidnapping a boy to bolster the war effort which would delay my Lord's plans in saving the wizarding world from itself. Which would be unfortunate for everyone.'

'And so you belong to Voldemelt?'

The man smirked. 'As amusing as your names are for my Lord, unfortunately, it will not save you. Yes, I do belong to the Dark Lord, the future saviour of wizardkind.'

'Well whoopdie-fuckdie do for you. So I can assume you've come to kill me then?'

'No.'

'No?'

'No. Mr Potter, we have no intention of killing what could promise to be such a...valuable resource. Despite the propaganda that you've no doubt been forced-fed at the school under Dumbledore's thumb, we do not desire to kill everyone of less than noble birth. We prefer to merely exploit a resource previously untapped by wizards. The Muggles are numerous, and threaten our world constantly with their new technology. All that my Lord desires is to simply manipulate the Muggles into exploits elsewhere that will not affect our civilisation. Unfortunately for us, Dumbledore refuses to acknowledge the danger that Muggles present to us, despite the proof that was shown no more than a few weeks ago with your more than stunning victory over the dragon in the first task. A tranquiliser gun, I mean, that is exceptional work. It certainly gave my Lord pause for thought. We have done our research, Mr. Potter, and we feel that you and your imagination would be of great value to us in the Dark Lords ranks.'

'And should I decline the offer that your Lord presents to me?'

'Unfortunately, my Lord cannot permit such insolence. He will, quite simply, kill anyone associated with you, before capturing you last and subjecting you to the most excruciating tortures that the minds of his Inner Circle may come up with. I can speak from sight of these tortures that you would not last them, although I can certainly imagine that you would resist to the very end before you died.'

'You're talking a load of bullshit here, mate, and you'd better watch where your mouth leads you, otherwise you may find yourself face down in a ditch somewhere. You get me?'

The man chuckled darkly, his body retreating into the shadow. 'Mr Potter, I believe that it goes without saying that you are in quite a bad situation, in regards to Dumbledore. He will keep you locked up; he will use you as his puppet. He will not stop until you have been drained of every last bit of value, and then discarded. You will be abandoned, most likely oblivated of your memory, before being sent to wherever he feels like it. America, England, France. As far as he is concerned, you now belong to him, and we both know that that is the one thing you hate most. You want freedom, not to be locked in a cage, despite how luxurious it may be. You don't belong in our world. You know that, and we know that. Most likely Dumbledore knows that as well and yet he will continue to ignore those thoughts.'

Emerald remained silent, his eyes darkened. Finally, he spoke. 'And what exactly is your point in all this? I have little doubt that you're speaking the truth, but why are you telling me this, exactly?'

'I have a proposition for you, Mr Potter. You want freedom, and to achieve that, you need to remain in the Muggle world. We don't want you in the Wizarding world, and you don't want to be in the wizarding world. That is why my Lord proposes to give you that freedom. At a price, of course.'

'And that would be?'

'The death of Albus Dumbledore.'

Emerald remained shocked for a few seconds, staring at the figure that remained hidden by the shadows. Although unseen, Emerald could literally _feel _the cold smirk of the man before. He was suddenly startled by the man when he tossed a dull piece of metal. Emerald stood to one side, letting the piece of metal hit the wall and bounce onto the ground, rolling next to Emerald's foot.

'That, Mr. Potter, is a portkey to Hogsmeade. It will go off automatically in no more than two hours. If you wish, you may use the keyword _Pureblood_ to leave any time between the time I go and two hours from then. In that time, you may use that time to decide where you will go. However, I should inform you that should you refuse my Lords offer; we shall then stop at nothing to hunt you down. Your friends will be found and slaughtered like the scum they are. You, on the other hand, will be simply tortured for days without end until my Lord tires of your screams. Choose your loyalties carefully. Once that Portkey goes off, we will know whether you accept or not. Do keep that in consideration, Mr. Potter.' The man suddenly span on his heel, disappearing with a loud snap.

Emerald remained where he was, staring at the piece of metal that was at his foot. Cautiously, he bent over picking it up. He weighed it carefully in his hands, feeling its rough texture. He sighed, knowing that despite everything he did, he was trapped by the wizarding world. He was lucky that he had found Zoe, but he knew that if this Dark Lord had found him, then Dumbledore wouldn't be far behind. And anyway, the offer he had just received was _very _interesting indeed. Could he do it? There was no reason why he couldn't, but the problem was that Dumbledore, by all accounts, was one of the most powerful wizards in the world, both politically and magically. How was Emerald expected to earn his freedom if he could only expect to be hunted down by the wizarding world and be subject to whatever it was the wizards had for a trial. Knowing the state of the wizards, no doubt there was no jury, only a Judge who was a nobleman, who looked down upon commoners. Bunch of pricks that wizards were, what else could he expect?

There was a sudden rustling .Emerald looked up, wondering whether the man had returned for some reason. However, the colour of red hair standing in the doorway quickly put an end to Emerald's thoughts. Zoe stood in the doorway, dressed in a warm dressing gown, her brown eyes bleary as she squinted at Emerald through the dull light, only half-awake. She yawned as she walked towards Emerald, joining him at the wall, facing outwards towards the lights and the noise of the beeping cars.

'Who were you talking too?' She asked, rubbing one of her eyes with her hand.

Emerald shook his head, also turning to face outwards. The night seemed dimmer already, the glint of the dawn already penetrating its darkness, cutting through the black of the night. An owl hooted above as it flew past. Emerald looked up, wondering if it was carrying a letter and would swoop down to Emerald. Damn him if it wouldn't create some awkward questions from Zoe about what the hell was going on. 'Nobody really,' he said quietly. His fist gripped tightly around the portkey as he continued to stare into the distance. 'Just some random guy.

She looked at him oddly, but seemed to accept his statement. She held up a bottle of vodka, a wry smile on her face. 'Thirsty?' She offered the bottle to Emerald. He smiled and took it.

'More than you can imagine.' He said, taking a swig from the bottle, gulping down the mouthful of alcohol, sighing in satisfaction as it all went down. He gave a rare smile at Zoe, passing the bottle back to her. Zoe smiled back, before taking a swig like Emerald had, matching him gulp for gulp. She then continued to look outside, the bottle between their bodies, perched on the wall.

'So what's up with you?' She asked. Emerald looked at her startled.

She looked at him with a curious expression. Emerald turned his gaze to the ground below, sighing. What choice did he have? Call him a heartless bastard, by all means. Emerald would simply confirm that statement. He was heartless, cruel and hateful at the best of times, but under no circumstances would he ever betray his gang. And if he didn't return to Hogwarts, who was to say how long it would be before those people came after his friends. Hell, already they had been attacked by the Crazies, even though it had been no more than a single goddamned day since he'd left them. Who was to say they hadn't been attacked already without his knowledge. While he was stuck in Hogwarts, doing some fucking Tournament for no goddamned reason other than to please the masses, his friends could already be dead.

His mind made up, he turned to Zoe, sighing heavily. 'I've got to leave,' he said simply.

Zoe looked at him confused. 'How come?'

Emerald sighed, turning to Zoe. 'It's not that I don't like being here, believe me, I love it. But the thing is, people are going to look for me. I think they've already found me, well, at least one group of theirs knows I'm here.'

'Who are they?'

'They're...well, it's safe to say that they're different from me and you.'

'Special?' She asked in a sceptic tone of voice.

Emerald chuckled darkly, 'you wouldn't believe just how special...'

Zoe frowned at that, but looked at Emerald. 'So then what are you going to do? Where are you going to go?'

'Here and there,' Emerald replied nonchalantly. 'I'll head north for a while, I guess, see where I go from here. Then perhaps head back down South. Who knows, maybe I'll end up back here.'

Zoe nodded, looking quite sad. 'Well...wherever you go then, try and come back some time. Its been fun, I suppose. Maybe we'll organise a fight or two for you when you come back, yeah?' She grinned at him.

Emerald smirked, 'you do that, sounds like fun.'

Zoe smiled, brushing her hair back behind her ear. 'Well,' she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. 'I guess that I'll be going back to bed then. Guess you won't be here when I wake up then.'

Emerald shook his head. 'I definitely doubt it. See you around, Zoe.'

She half waved her hand as she turned and went into her flat, closing the door behind her. Emerald sighed deeply, putting the portkey close to his mouth. '_Pureblood_,' he whispered into his hand. With a sudden flash, Emerald disappeared from the flat. No more than a second later, Zoe came running out.

'Emerald, wait!' She stopped, her brow creased in confusion. He had disappeared suddenly. She hadn't stopped him in time...she went to the wall, looking down at the staircases, hoping to see him there, and hopefully be able to yell for him to come back. But he wasn't there...she frowned, and looked at the floor. She looked one last time, hopefully, before sighing once again, acknowledging that Emerald had somehow disappeared. Turning around, the door closed slowly behind her, and the light emitting from the sides of the door finally turned off.

All was dark...

--------------------------------

Voldemort sat on his throne, watching Rick Alsop knelt before him, remaining silent and unmoving, waiting until his Lord acknowledged his presence, permitting him to make his report. For over ten minutes now, Voldemort remained silent, content to watch Alsop fight his weakening muscles, to know that to move would result in a painful curse at the end of Voldemort's wand. He smiled slightly, knowing that he deserved such loyalty from his followers, for was he not the greatest wizard in the world?

Finally, Voldemort spoke. 'Report,' he said, watching Alsop's body sag with relief.

'My Lord,' he spoke relevantly. 'As you ordered me to, I left for where the Potter boy was staying at. I marked down carefully where he was, gave him your offer and the Portkey. As you ordered, six of your Death Eaters await your command to strike should he not take the generous offer you offered.'

Voldemort smirked, tapping the side of his throne. 'Yes...' he breathed out, delight dancing through his maddened eyes. 'The plot unfolds, does it not?'

'My Lord...' Alsop ventured, wincing slightly as Voldemort's red eyes turned to Alsop, ablaze with anger. 'Forgive my impudence, my Lord, but may I beg of you a question?'

Voldemort nodded slowly, 'you may ask one question. Use it carefully.'

'Why did you not simply go yourself to where the Potter boy is, and kill him while he was away from the interference of Dumbledore?'

Voldemort smiled coldly. 'Now why on earth would I wish to do that, Alsop, when I could simply allow him to do my bidding. Who would expect the Golden Boy to be the one to kill Albus Dumbledore? Nobody. Once Potter does as he's told, then by all means, let him flee to the Muggle world. I care not for what he does with his wretched life. As far as I am concerned, if he wishes to live like an animal, then let him do so. Of course, should he fail in his task and is spared by the old fool, then we will see what to do with him then. Perhaps we will induct him into my Death Eaters? Can you imagine the morale boost? The Boy-Who-Lived, serving the Dark Lord? Would it not be a great act of mercy by myself? It would raise recruitment levels abroad through the roof. We would surely conquer the wizarding world then, absent of its glorious leader, Albus Dumbledore and their golden child.' Voldemort smiled.

'He will fall, one way or another.'

Alsop remained kneeling, a worshipful smile on his face. 'Hail the Dark Lord,' he simply said.

'Hail his Dark Majesty.'


	18. A author's plea

**Help required**

Hi everyone, I'm sorry that this isn't a proper update, but I need help.

Basically, I have a chapter more or less ready, but I really want 2 include the Second Task, but I'm a complete blank about what should happen. So, this is my challenge.

**Come up with a good alternative idea for what Emerald can do during the Second Task. Hilarity demanded :P**

Oh, and so I don't feel harsh in the morning...

**OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!**

Emerald span on his chair, a Cuban cigar in his mouth as he stared at the quivering Ron Weasley in front of his desk. On his left and right, Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles threateningly. Ronald, of course, gulped in terror.

'You come to me, on the day of my parent's death,' Emerald said in a raspy voice. On his desk, a carved pumpkin seemed to stare at Ron. 'Why do you disrespect me, Weasley?'

'Please, Pappa Emerald,' Ron said in a squeaky voice. 'What they did to me, I must have revenge!'

'And just what did they do, Weasley?'

Ron looked scruptiously left and right, before leaning in close. 'They took it,' he hissed. 'They took my precious!'

'What precious?'

'MY CHOCOLATE FROG CARDS!' Ron howled, falling to his knees, tears pouring down his face.

'And what would you have me do?'

Ron stared at Emerald, a determined look in his eyes. 'I want them dead! I want them to pay for taking the precious! _Weasley, Weasley_,' he coughed suddenly.

'Uh...boss...' Goyle suddenly said. 'Why's 'e turning grey and small, boss?'

'Because, Goyle,' Emerald said, puffing on his Cuban cigar. 'Because its plainly obvious that we have to rip off someone, and since we've already done that with Harry Potter, we must strive to ruin the Godfather and Lord of the Rings at the same time. Now, go get me some alcohol.'

'Yes Boss.'


	19. Second Sodding task!

**Second sodding task**

Emerald fell to the floor with a grunt, having fallen onto his back. He groaned as he stood up, stretching his back and looked around to see where he was. He had landed on what looked like the outskirts of Hogsmeade. He looked in the distance to see the massive building that was Hogwarts, its glittering lights shining in the distance, just through the village.

'Better follow the yellow brick road to see the bloody wizard of Oz,' Emerald muttered to himself, already regretting having left Zoe's. It had been an entire day since he'd been kidnapped and had to kill the Death Eater. It looked as though he would probably be seeing more of them as well. The offer from the "Dark Lord" was certainly tempting; Emerald mused as he walked through the village, ignoring the looks that followed him. If he killed Dumbledore, then he would be free. Or would he? He'd be constantly looking behind him all the time...every crack could be one of the wizards...every shadow could be one of them hiding. Emerald shuddered...any man could become crazy through that.

Emerald suddenly halted as he took in what looked like an old dingy pub. An sign hung outside, its battered appearance giving a clue to how old the building was. _The Hogs Head_, the sign proudly proclaimed. Underneath it, in smaller words read _Firewhisky sold here_. Emerald briefly looked at the setting sun, then at Hogwarts, then back to the sign. Was there really going to be any kind of a choice here?

Emerald smirked to himself as he opened the door to the pub, coughing as disturbed dust flew around him. Several hooded people looked up, but turned back down, ignoring Emerald. As he made his way over to the counter, a man with startling blue eyes regarded Emerald with suspicion.

'Whadda you want, boy?' His eyes focused in on Emerald. 'Ain't yer meant to be at the school?'

Emerald remained silent, simply pointing to a bottle that read _Orgon's best firewhisky!_ The man looked at Emerald in suspicion, but kept quiet, instead reaching for a dirty glass and poured out a large amount of it into the glass and putting it towards Emerald. Emerald licked his lips with some anticipation, reaching for the glass containing the slightly bubbling liquid. His hands clenched on the cold, cool glass. His skin around his tattoo seemed to vibrate slightly in anticipation as he raised it to his lips. Just as the beautiful alcohol was about to flood into his mouth, the door opened.

''Arry?' A loud voice said in surprise.

Emerald turned round, putting the glass onto the counter as he looked to see who had said that name. A huge man stood in the doorway, long shaggy hair that had clearly been unbrushed for years. He wore a long coat, pockets everywhere. The man walked towards Emerald, loud thumps sounding wherever he walked along the old wooden floors. Quite frankly, it was shocking that the man hadn't fallen through yet.

''Arry! It is yer!' The man said loudly, grabbing him by the shoulder. Emerald's cry of surprise went unnoticed by the man. 'Ooh, yer dint give Perfessor Dumbledore 'alf a scare when yer went and vanished like that! Come on, lad!' Emerald found himself being dragged away from the blessed alcohol, his hands reaching for it desperately as he was dragged away.

'Damn you!' Emerald's howl went unheeded as Emerald found himself dragged back up to the one place that he hated most.

-----------------------------------

'Ah,' Dumbledore said upon seeing Emerald, his eyes twinkling like mad. 'The Prodigal son returns to us! I must say, Mr. Potter -'

'Emerald.'

Dumbledore continued as though he hadn't heard Emerald. 'We were very worried when you disappeared. Your disappearance caused quite a lot of discord amongst the schools, I can certainly say. You may be ashamed; or pleased rather, to hear that you broke an established tradition of the Triwizard Tournament. With the disappearance of one of the challengers, only three of the competitors were able to attend.'

Emerald simply smirked in response to Dumbledore's stern face. Dumbledore sighed deeply, looking at Emerald in what almost looked like shame in his eyes.

'So what if I did miss your little Ball, Dumbledore?' Emerald said, a cold smile on his face. 'I hardly think that it's the worst thing in the world. 'Sides, I count myself lucky. It meant that I got to stay away from this crappy school, didn't I?'

'That is another topic I would like to discuss with you, Mr. Potter. Where exactly were you when you disappeared from us? We found evidence of a Portkey that led out of Hogsmeade, something that in itself is very disturbing to me. I personally made sure that wards were placed around the school's surrounding area that limits the use of Apparating or Portkey. To have somehow bypassed those wards is very serious, Mr. Potter. Already, I have the ministry clambering at the doors of the school demanding a chance to interview you in regards to where you were all of these years. It is thanks to me that I have managed to keep them at bay, for now. However, to refuse to cooperate with myself would lead to several difficulties. I have to give an answer to the Ministry about what happened to you. I ask you, please cooperate with myself.'

Emerald leant forward, his green eyes staring into Dumbledore's brown eyes. Suddenly, a small sneer broke out on his face. 'Dumbledore, while that is a very pretty speech you have going there, you seem to be missing a point. If you hadn't _kidnapped _me, and forced me into your school, then the Ministry wouldn't have any reason at all _for _wanting to _interrogate _me. For God's sake, I've told you once, I've told you a million times, I didn't want to be here in the first goddamned place! And you want me to tell you where I've been? Here's my answer, _fuck off_!'

Emerald's head started itching, all of a sudden. Emerald scratched it, but it didn't seem to disappear. Dumbledore continued to look deep into Emerald's eyes.

'Mr. Potter, your language is utterly foul, and I do not want to hear any more of it while you are in my school, forced or not.' Still looking into Emerald's eyes, he stood up, easily taller than Emerald. 'As I have told you before, I apologise for your unfortunate arrival into the wizarding world, and I assure you that had circumstances been different, you would have been left alone where you were without any further communication from us. However, things are not different, and action was taken, not just for our sake, but for the sake of the wizarding world.'

The itching in Emerald's head had gotten worse. Emerald stood up to match Dumbledore's stance, a cold look on his face as he stared angrily into Dumbledore's eyes. He sneered slightly, before turning on his heels and left Dumbledore's office, the door slamming behind him. Fawkes trilled a mournful tune as Dumbledore sat down heavily onto his chair. A mountain of paperwork was piled up on his desk. Wearily, Dumbledore turned his attention to the papers, picking up the first one. It was going to be a long day.

-----------

'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, no please, don't stand on my behalf. Just bask in the knowledge that your God has returned to you at long last!' Emerald stood in the door of the Slytherin common room, his arms in the air as he walked through the room. Daphne and Draco were sat in two armchairs. The pair of them, at the sound of Emerald's voice, quickly span around, looking at Emerald in shock.

'He was gone?' A fifth year Slytherin asked one of his fellow students next to him.

Emerald spun on his heel, glaring at the boy. 'What do you mean, was I gone? For fuck's sake, lad, how could you not notice I was gone? I am, after all, your true God!' He posed triumphantly, striking a pose.

'I didn't know he was gone either,' one of the first years muttered.

Emerald span on his feet to tell the boy off, only to stop in shock when most of the other occupants muttered their agreement with the boy. Emerald looked around, his face one of great shock and slight dismay.

'Well...' Emerald said, obviously confused. 'Well...you lot just can't appreciate art when you see it.'

'Emerald?' Daphne said in astonishment.

'Ah!' Emerald turned towards Daphne, his arms open. 'At last! At least one of you fools remembers my brilliance, and adores my every being. Come to my arms, oh sweet Daphne!' he flung his arms open, a cocky smile on his face.

'You were gone?' She said, looking confused.

'Oh for God's sake!' Emerald yelled to the air in frustration, throwing his arms into the air. 'What does a guy have to do around here to get known? Oh, lets' just ignore he's the so-called "boy-who-lived", he's only just been entered into your goddamned tournament; he only took down a dragon! What more do you people want?'

'How about some alcohol?'

'How about a nice fist sandwich?'

The offending Slytherin looked at Emerald in confusion. 'Um...I'd prefer the alcohol really.'

Emerald shook his head, glaring at the Slytherin, before he turned back to Daphne. Malfoy now stood next to her. Nearly everybody was by now watching Emerald. Emerald simply turned on his feet, walking out of the common room.

------------------------------------------

'So let me get this straight,' Emerald said solemnly as he stood in front of the entire school. 'You want me to go into a lake, rescue someone who I dearly hold to me, fight off whatever creatures live in the lake, which includes a giant squib, take the hostage and get back, and you want me to do this in a hour?'

'Did you even look at the egg?' Draco said in confusion, standing next to Emerald as the other competitors got ready. 'I mean, it looks like every other champion worked it out. I would've thought you had.'

'I was tired.'

'For three days?'

'I was very tired.'

'For three days?'

'Exhausted, couldn't get a wink to sleep.'

'For three days?'

'OK, fine! I couldn't' be bothered!'

'For three days?'

'Would you like to meet my best friend, Mr. Right fist?'

'Alright, calm down! Merlin, you try to help a guy...'

'Would you like to tell me how you're helping, exactly?'

'I like to think of it as moral support, y'know, the usual.'

'Yes, your very presence inspires me with hope and victory, Draco. There can't be any doubt about it (!)'

'Exactly!' Draco continued, acting as though he hadn't heard any trace of sarcasm in Emerald's voice. 'You see, the task won't be that bad. You'll make it through.'

Emerald eyed Draco curiously, 'how do you know about the task, anyway.'

Draco smirked as he examined his fingernails idly, checking for non-existent dirt. 'Well, when you have friends like Lavender, it isn't hard to get her to find out about the second task on your behalf. I simply asked her if she could help you out by gathering as much information as possible. Once I got the information, I got rid of the blatantly obvious idiotic information, and came up with a conclusion that I believe works.'

'So what's your theory?'

'From what I can tell, there is a object missing that you treasure most. Now, I don't know what it is you'll miss most, but whatever it is, it'll be somewhere within that lake. Probably at the bottom, now I think about it.'

'So...I have to go to the bottom of the lake...try and find something which I'm going to miss...Draco...how exactly do I get to the bottom of the lake?'

Draco smirked as he looked towards the lake, 'its a rather nice boat, those Durmstrang lot have. It's a rather remarkable way of travel, as well. Managing to get all the way from Germany to Scotland, wouldn't you agree, Emerald?'

--------------------

Emerald screamed as the ship only just missed a massive rock. 'Why the hell did I listen to Draco?' He screamed again as the controls on autopilot once again narrowly swerved and missed another large rock.

It had been almost too easy to get onto the boat. While the water was freezing, it was just an incentive to get to the boat as fast as he possibly could. Once on board the ship, it was evident that everyone had gone to the shore to watch the proceedings, and so with no one to challenge him on the ship, he had simply found the steering room where a voice had asked his destination. And now, of course, he was being hurled around the lake in a wooden boat that looked like it should've been taken out of commission sometime back in the 16th century.

Around him, incredible sights flashed past the boat, the light from schools of fish as they danced and wandered in complete synchrony, the actions of one fish leading a thousand. Around them, strange dolphins with six fins and a large pouch swam together, their large beak-like mouths opening and closing as though they were in conversation. A large creature with a incredibly long neck and thick body passed by slowly, as though in a slight daze. In the distance though, there appeared to be a city of lights as the ship hurtled towards it. As it drew closer, thousands of corals began to emerge, strange and wondrous colours emerging out of the darkness.

Of course, Emerald didn't see a single bit of this, as he had already left the deck and gone below. Emerald whistled as he rummaged through the dormitory of the Dumstrange students chests and lockers, throwing aside clothes, books and other objects. He suddenly stopped, looking at the back of the chest he was at. Throwing aside a photo of a family, he pulled out, with a look of glee, a bottle of alcohol. He slowly began to pull the top off of the bottle, licking his lips with anticipation. Thank the gods that he had come onto the ship, he couldn't believe that...

Emerald suddenly stopped. If he was down there, and no one was up there, and the ship was moving, then who was steering... Emerald stayed frozen for several seconds, before he suddenly scrambled to his feet, still holding on with a firm grip to the bottle, and rushed back through the ship, climbing through stairs and back up to the deck, where the steering wheel was. Emerald, panting heavily, managed to just lay his hand on the wheel in time to see a massive building in front of him.

---------------------------------------

A mermaid floated on guard at the outskirts of the mer-people village, its trident firmly in its fin as it floated, waiting for any sign of the humans who the long-haired wizard had told their leader. It was a rare occasion for any mermaid to see a human, for they lived deep in the water colonies, never having any reason to leave for the surface. It, however, was hoped that this would change. Many of the younger mer-people expressed wishes to interact more with their fairer-skinned relatives who lived on the land. It was widely believed that this would soon be achieved, for had not great leaps been made with the pale-skinned leaders? Of course, the process was not complete, and any setback would almost certainly destroy everything that the mer-people had striven for centuries. Of course, what were the odds that that could –

With a great whoosh, the wooden object that the pale-skins had used to arrive at their lake many tides ago sped past her, disappearing faster than she could ever hope to swim. The mermaid floated there in shock, its mind not processing what had just happened. It was the sound of a mighty crash that only broke it out of its shock, and start swimming as fast as it could towards where the sound had come from.

As it floated above several corals, it suddenly stopped swimming in shock, staring at the chaos and destruction that had previously been its village. At least half of the village had been caught up in the frantic pace set by the ship, only stopped by one thing. A massive palace carved out of a once mighty coral, the Mer-people had used the palace for centuries as meetings. Not only was it the symbol of everything the Mer-people treasured, but it contained several of the leaders of the Mer-people, who had specifically travelled here in preparation for the talks that would've given them rights and acknowledgement amongst the pale-skins. And now, it was broken in two. The head of ship, shaped like a point on a trident, had smashed into the palace, causing huge cracks to spread through the outline of the palace, huge chunks breaking apart as it began to crumble. The ship itself remained intact, but the mer-people inside the palace?

The mermaid began to feel a great rage begin to engulth her as it swam towards the village. Around her, other similarly angry mer-people followed in her wake, all of them clutching at least one weapon. Clubs, tridents, nets, spears, all of them headed towards the boat where the pale-skins were.

'Death to the pale-skins!' The mermaid screeched, its cry quickly taken up by the rest of the mer-people.

----------------------

Emerald groaned as he lifted his head. A massive ache filled his entire being, his head feeling like it was between two fists from over sized, steroid-duped bouncers who were punching his head every two seconds simultaneously. 'I hate you Draco,' he muttered, spitting out blood. His lips were split, from which blood poured out. Luckily, Emerald could feel no other injuries. Groaning as he stood up, his bones protesting at the movement. 'Right,' he muttered, 'where's that bloody hostage?'

Emerald glanced around, peering through the huge see-through shield that prevented the ship from being flooded. Around, wreckage from the village littered the surrounding area. However, in front of him, miraculously unharmed, the hostages floated in the water, their faces pale and cold. Emerald scanned their faces from the protection of the ship, nodding as he saw Daphne floating there. 'Should've guessed it'd be you,' he murmured, reaching through the water with his arm and pull Daphne to him. Almost instantly, Daphne's face began to regain colour, and her eyes fluttered awake.

'Emerald?' She muttered, her eyes blinking furiously at him. 'Where am I?'

'In the lake,' Emerald said, turning away from her and walking back to the steering wheel, pushing experimentally. The ship, however, didn't move. 'Shit!' Emerald swore, kicking it in frustration.

'What's up?' Daphne said, having stumbled over to Emerald. 'Where are we, anyway?'

'We're on the Durmstrange boat, I hijacked it after I realised that I was coming into the lake. Anyway, are you al...' Emerald suddenly stopped talking, staring into the distance.

'Emerald?' Daphne said cautiously, before turning to look where Emerald was looking. Her mouth opened slightly in shock as she saw a huge mass of mer-people with weapons coming towards them. 'Um...Emerald...what the hell did you do now?'

'Less talk, more action!' Emerald barked, turning back to the steering wheel and turning it frantically. Daphne rushed to his side, pressing several buttons on a panel to the side. Emerald suddenly heard a splutter as bubbles began to float to the surface from the back of the boat. Emerald blinked in shock as water began to rush in. 'Daphne...what the hell did you press?!' He screamed at her as water began to flood the deck, rushing below into the cabins.

'A button!' She screamed back as water enveloped their legs. The water began to rise higher and higher, reaching their necks.

'Can you swim?' He yelled, kicking his legs in a effort to stay above the water.

'Yeah, can you?' She yelled back.

'Never had the chance,' Emerald suddenly grinned manically. 'Looks like I'm gonna learn.' Emerald gave her a characteristic smirk as the water enveloped their heads.

Daphne began to kick her legs, dodging one a thrown trident from one of the mer-people, the crowd still being too far away to get her. She swam to the stop, feeling black spots in her sight as she felt the pressure at the bottom of the lake began to press in at her. Frantically, she swam faster and faster, her legs feeling like a blur. Just as she thought she was about to drown, she suddenly reached the surface, her long black hair draping over her shoulders and face as she breathed heavily, feeling like she'd never forget how wonderful oxygen was. Her legs and arms feeling weak, she began the long slog back to the shore, only to be met halfway there by Dumbledore who had requisitioned a boat along with the other judges, his blue eyes creased with concern.

'Miss Greengrass,' he said as he helped lift her out of the water. 'Where is Mr. Potter?'

'He's –' She was cut off as a trident launched itself from the water, one of the mer-people having swam to the surface, its cold grey eyes filled with hatred. Dumbledore quickly deflected it, having pulled out his wand in one of the fastest draws Daphne had ever seen. The chattering of the incomprehensible language of the mer-people began to surround them as more and more heads appeared out of the water, weapons clutched in their hands.

'I daresay it prudent to retreat to the shore, Dumbledore!' A red headed boy in his late teens said, pulling out his own wand.

'But the hostages and other champions,' Madam Maxime started.

'We will have to retrieve them later,' Karkaroff snapped, his wand out as he repelled another thrown trident. 'We must ensure the safety of ourselves first!'

Dumbledore stared out into the water as the boat began to pull itself back to shore, hundreds of Mer-people heads appearing out of the water as they began to swim after the boat. Where was Harry?

And what had he done...

**Hey people, sorry for the very long update. I've been revising for exams, and I just finished four exams today!!! So, as celebration for finishing them, and hopefully passing them, I wrote out the chapter at long last. So anyway, review and tell me what you think of the latest predicament Emerald's found himself in. Just what has happened to Emerald, and where are the other champions/hostages?**


	20. Majesty

**Majesty**

**Ok, if you loved the first task, then I think you'll love the second task's conclusion. Review and tell me what you thought of it :P**

'So...' Emerald started; his fellow champions and hostages sitting around him. 'Anyone got any ideas, by any chance?' In front of him and the others, tridents were held threateningly at their throats by angry looking mer-people, their cold, watery eyes staring straight into their own. 'Seriously, ideas anyone?' Silence met Emerald's question, only the dripping of water making a sound in the deep, cold cavern. All of the hostages and champions stared at Emerald in anger, only Krum still unconscious. Despite the usual jokes about Quidditch players having thick skulls, it didn't' seem to be the case for Krum.

'Que feront-ils nous?' The youngest of the humans there, the French sister of Fleur, said fearfully.

'Eh? I can't understand you.'

'Que feront-ils nous ?'

'Me no speaky-French.'

'Que feront-ils nous!?'

'I English, you foreign, my language better.'

'Que feront-ils nous!!' The girl had gone red in the cheeks, her eyes narrowed in dislike of Emerald.

'I...don't....understand....you.' Emerald drew out the words.

'Oh for God's sake!' Fleur snapped, ignoring the trident at her throat. 'She said what are they going to do to us!'

Emerald stared at her blankly before saying slowly as though to an imbecile, 'I...don't...understand...you.'

Fleur visibly growled, her eyes narrowing in imitation of her sister, her features seemingly growing more narrow and hateful. 'English idiot! If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess!'

'Oh that's right, blame the guy whose had a hard upbringing. Blame the guy whose lived on the streets, blame the guy whose had to work for his every quid just to survive in this cold, harsh world!'

Cedric suddenly snorted. 'Oh please, that's just another rumour. Like hell you lived on the streets. You're the goddamned Boy-Who-Lived, for crying out loud! You probably lived in luxury for your entire life. You think you're hard, Emerald, with your tattoo and...and you're...and you're _scar_. You think that everyone's life revolves around you, but guess what, it doesn't!'

A shocked silence descended upon the occupants of the cavern, mer-person and human and quarter-Veela stared at the two people. Cedric was panting heavily, while Emerald stared at him in pure, unadulterated anger. It looked as though for a second that Emerald was about to launch himself at Cedric, his fists clenched and his teeth gritted. But before anything could happen, the situation was interrupted by each champion and hostage being grabbed by one of the mer-people and dragged into the water. Each of them kicked hard to get away, Emerald included, but the grip of the Mer-person holding onto them was like steel. Just as it seemed as the last bubble air was about to disappear from their throats, they were raised to the surface, their throats gulping in air as fast as it could be processed.

Around them, a huge make-shift stadium confronted their eyes. Hundreds of mer-people swam around a small rock-island that the champions had all been placed on. Swimming without rest, they watched the champions carefully, weapons of all kinds in their hands.

'What's going on?' Cedric hissed, almost tripping over the still-unconscious Krum. 'What are they doing?'

'I've read about this,' Hermione hissed back, a faint blush on her cheeks as she stared at Cedric. Even in the most strangest of times, it was amazing what a person would do and think of. 'This is the official trial area for the mer-people.'

'So where's their judge?' Emerald muttered out of the side of his mouth to Hermione, feeling helpless. 'What kind of court is this?'

'Um...well, it's quite fascinating really. You see, the concept of a trial in Mer-people society was developed in the 5th century –'

'Yes yes, very fascinating, favourite century of mine, the 5th, but the point?'

'The point is that their trials are basically a fight.'

'A fight, what kind? Boxing, wrestling, bit of duelling? Swords and pistols at midnight?'

'More like a fight to the death...'

At those words, everyone stared around them. A disturbance in the huge crowd surrounding them was visible at the side of the cavern, and was getting closer to them.

'Well,' the Asian girl said, her Scottish accent evident. 'This is looking fun, dontcha' think?' Even Cedric cracked a smirk at the obvious sarcasm.

'Well...' Emerald said, a faint tinge of regret in his words as the disturbance got closer to them. 'I'd say that it was nice dying with such pleasant company, but personally, I'd prefer a bottle of whisky.'

-------------------------

Dumbledore stared out into the lake amid the abandoned stands where that morning, the Second Task had been launched. Things were, more or less, a complete and utter mess. With the anticipated treaty between Mer-people and Wizards seemingly in shreds, the treaty that Dumbledore had for no less than two score years was more or less over. Even worse, seven people had gone missing in the depths of the lake, one of them the famed Boy-Who-Lived, and who was essential to the safety and security of the Wizarding world. Three of the other people in the lake were foreign, and if not secured and returned to their countries soon, a international outcry would occur which would severely cut the amount of relief funding given by other Ministries, and could potentially break the stalemate that had plagued the Wizarding World for so long, but this time, in Lord Voldemort's favour.

Therefore, a response was necessary. After half a day of frantic warding and building, a make-do ship had been made out of different pieces of wood by Dumbledore, his staff and several years of Charms students. The Ministry had intervened and stripped back several squads from several areas, including Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. All that they could do was pray that Voldemort didn't launch any major attacks in the next few hours, for if he did, then they would have to face him with limited forces and worse of all, without Dumbledore to provide moral and magical support.

That was how Dumbledore found himself with 26 Aurors packed in a boat the size of a yaht that was underwater and surrounded by a barrier, maintained by three Aurors. As an added precaution, each member on board had cast a Bubble-Head charm around them, just in case. All had their wands out, and were waiting for whatever came next.

The boat continued on its journey in the cold, dark depths of the lake. The sun that shone brightly above didn't penetrate this far down, and only the lights of their wands guided their way. The Giant Squid often lurked down here, only coming to the surface in fits of fancy.

Suddenly, the boat halted as a beautiful, piercing sound echoed through the water. A solitary voice sang in the deep, its words incomprehensible, although the tune was definitely known to Dumbledore from somewhere.

'Dumbledore,' one of the Aurors whispered softly, as though afraid that his voice would break the voice. 'Do we...do we continue?'

Dumbledore shook his head, snapping out of the spell the voice had placed him under. 'Yes,' he said loudly, doing the same for the other Aurors. 'We continue, and we will rescue those children, even if it kills us.'

The boat continued on its journey, the voice still singing loudly, although now it had been joined by other voices, creating a harmony unmatched by any human voice. The people in the boat remained silent, allowing the music to wash over them as the voices grew louder, but no less beautiful for that. Suddenly, as the boat came over a small sandy hill, the full radiance of lights hit the eyes of the Aurors, and as one, they gaped in shock, the words fully comprehensible at last.

_God save our gracious Lord,_

_God save our holy King,_

_God save our gracious nation,_

_God save King Emerald._

Dumbledore stared in shock as the Boy-Who-Was-Dumbledore's-Bane sat in a huge throne, hundreds of Mer-People bowing to him, their eyes shining with emotion. By his side, the champions and hostages all stood, their faces clearly showing confusion, and inexplicably, Cedric Diggory who was tied in chains to a rock, a gag placed around his mouth. All had Bubble-Charms around their faces.

Emerald suddenly noticed Dumbledore. 'Ah, Dumbledore, old man, come closer to your King and show your devotion to the most holiest of holies.'

'Wha...I...' Dumbledore found himself short of words, a complete blank in his memory as his brain frantically tried to process the fact that Emerald was now King of the Mer-People. 'Bu...h – how?'

'Well...long story short, I basically knocked out the heir to the Mer-People's throne after I accidently killed Daddy. You know, these things do happen,' Emerald sighed tragically. 'And now they made me their King because of some Alpha thing.' He clicked his hands, and Fleur Delacour, a Bubble-Head charm surrounding her head, visibly sighed and held up a basket of grapes. Emerald smirked at her as he picked one up and tossed it into the water, allowing it to float into his mouth.

'But...but...'

'Yup.'

'I...'

'I agree.'

'You...'

'I know exactly what you're saying.'

'But the...'

'I know, amazing, isn't it?'

Dumbledore shook his head, looking for a distraction and finding it in Cedric Diggory, who was still chained to the rock. 'What happened to Mr. Diggory?'

Emerald glanced at him once before looking at Dumbledore again. 'Management problems, you know these workers, you take away their rights and their unions, and what do you get? Revolution! I had to make an example of him, you understand. Didn't I, slaves?'

'Yes Your Majesty,' the champions and hostages said wearily in unison.

'Exactly,' Emerald turned back to Dumbledore and smirked. 'So then, what's the plan now? I've got around several hundred Mer-People who are more or less willing to die for their King, and you've...what, around 20 Wizards?' Emerald clicked his fingers, and in unison, tridents, spears and other weapons faced Dumbledore and the Aurors.

Dumbledore smiled, clearly not bothered about the odds. 'What I would like, Emerald –'

'Your Majesty.'

'I...what?'

'Address me by my proper title.'

Dumbledore sighed, while the Aurors shifted their weight uncomfortably. 'Very well then, Your Majesty. I would like to return you all to the school, where you can be safe and preferably not wet.'

Emerald scratched his head, 'oh, I dunno, you get used to the temperature quickly, and it ain't bad down here. It's away from you, at the very least.'

'Perhaps,' Dumbledore conceded, a smile still on his face. 'But even so, I have little doubt you would prefer the surface and the sun. In addition, the school Feast is going to begin soon, and while I have little doubt the cuisine down here is pleasant, I find myself rather partial to lemon drops and roast beef drenched in gravy.'

'You have very weird choices in food,' Emerald said, although he was looking thoughtful. 'Ah, fine then, back to the surface!' He turned to the crowd and pointed a finger at random into the crowd, landing on a small Mer-child who couldn't be more than 6 in human years. 'You, your now my official regent for the kingdom. Rule it well until I return.' In unison, a gulp was heard from each and every Mer-Person as the small Mer-Child grinned with all the evil force it could muster. 'See you around, folks!' Emerald called as the boat, now filled with Aurors, champions, hostages and one King began to sail back for the surface.

The last thing that Emerald heard from his kingdom was the high pitched squeals of 'toys, toys, toys, toys!'

------------------

Once they reached the surface, they all began to stretch as the sun, as far gone as it was, began to warm up their bodies. Emerald stretched and fell onto the grass, moaning in relief as he felt warmth sink into his bones. Suddenly, next to him, Cho Chang sat up with a start, her eyes wide.

'Um...where's Cedric?'

-----------------------------

'And then we're going to play tea with my fishies, and then we're going to walk you, and then we're going to dress you up all nice and pretty.'

Cedric, still chained to the rock, stared straight ahead in terror, the new Mer-Child Regent babbling away as it brought out stinking mud and a unidentiful black ooze and then faced him. 'We're going to make you pretty!' It squealed as the ooze came closer and closer to Cedric. A silent scream for help seemed to echo in the minds of all the Mer-People, who in their infinite wisdom, had concluded that it was best that the human, rather than a Mer-Person, be the next victim for the new Regent. When questions arose whether or not Emerald was rightfully the new King, the wise Mer-People simply shrugged and carried on with their duties.

After all, God save the King.

**Oh dear, poor Cedric...so, what do you reckon then? King Emerald of the Merpeople? Is this simple madness from your poor author? The simple answer, ladies and gentlemen, is that it most likely is pure, unstoppable madness :P**

**Of course, that means for every person who refuses to review, this madman will hunt you down in your sleep tonight.**

**Pleasant dreams now, y'all. :P**


	21. Leukemia

**Problem...**

Hi everyone, I'm sorry but this is not a update to the Forced Hero. As I have said before, I am taking time off to work on my stories and focus on some personal business. Unfortunately, it is not likely that my stories will be finished. As it turns out, I have Leukemia, and so have to go to the hospital. I am uncertain about whether or not I will survive. So, basically, this story and every other story I have can now be considered **abandoned**.

Unless I recover from Leukemia, these stories will remain on fanfiction unfinished. Anyone and everyone willing to do so may continue it.

However, it is not all bad news. My brother who considers himself a writer has promised that in the unlikely event of my death, he will take over for me.

As of this point, however, this story is abandoned.

If anyone has any comments or sympathy they wish to express, please do not waste them on reviews in my stories. It would be preferable if you could instead send them through PMs. From there, I will try to respond to your PMs.

Waving goodbye and hoping to return soon,

Kaeim.


	22. A long time coming

**A long time coming**

**Well folks, its been a long time, a very long time as a matter of fact. I never really intended to stop this story, but I did. Some amongst you might be wondering how my leukaemia went. Well, for those wondering, you're all a bunch of idiots because if I was dead, then I wouldn't be typing. For all those who did wonder, please slap yourselves around the back of the head since I cannot be arsed to buy a car, keep paying valuable money on petrol along my road trip across the entire world hunting each and every single one of you people (and that includes the non reviewing types who will get a compulsory execution) who were wondering. **

"Mr Potter, Mr Potter!" Hundreds of flashes seemed to go off in Emerald's eyes. He blinked, the noise from the screeching group of reporters deafening him. He sighed as he lounged on his seat, idly pushing his crown back on his head. It wasn't until Dumbledore finally silenced the reporters that Emerald was allowed to speak.

"Right then..." he mumbled, picking one of the reporters at random. "You then, reporter with bad hair, what's your question?"

"How did you escape, Mr. Potter?"

"Call me Emerald. And I didn't escape as a matter of fact. It was only after several long and painful hours of arguing with a petulant child that I gave in. It wasn't until Dumbledore threatened to cry that I agreed to speak to you all."

The reporter blinked in confusion. Attempting to speak again, he was ignored as Emerald pointed to another reporter.

"Mr. Potter, what are your feelings regarding the coronation?"

"Well, I'm feeling kinda hungry."

"Mr. Potter!" One of the reporters yelled suddenly. "Are you saying that Dumbledore is starving you deliberately in order to force you to give up the crown?"

Emerald blinked. "I...uh..."

Another reporter leapt up. "Mr Potter, is it true that Dumbledore is secretly attempting to subvert the school children and force you into total obedience using the power of music?"

"What...?"

"Is it true that you have been sexually molested by the headmaster?" Another yelled.

"Now wait just a –"

"Have you declared war upon He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named using the resources granted by the Merpeople?"

Dumbledore finally stepped in, his hands in the air as he called for attention. "Now now, everyone, let's not get foolish in the quest for the truth. I can safely say that there has been no subversion of children using music, I have not molested Mr. Potter and he has yet to decide what to do with his new position as King of the Merpeople. There will be no more questions"

"Mr. Dumbledore!" A reporter stood up. "Will you-"

"I said," Dumbledore's eyes began to twinkle. "there will be no more questions."

"There will be no more questions," the reporter said in a monotone voice.

"What have you done to him!" One of his neighbours stood up, her voice high in shock.

"You will remember nothing," Dumbledore turned his attention to the entire media crowd. "You came, you saw, you got nothing out of Mr. Potter. As a good friend of mine said, Veni, Veci, Dumbledore." He turned back to Emerald with a smile on his face. "Come along, Emerald. I'm sure that you are quite exhausted after your ordeal. I'll go get Severus and have you escorted back to the Slytherin common room."

"Um, will he be alright?" Emerald pointed out one of the reporters, who had started frothing at the mouth and fallen to the ground, everyone else ignoring him as they stayed sitting, their eyes staring forward.

"Yes yes," Dumbledore said impatiently. "I'll have Hagrid dispose of him soon enough."

"What...?" Emerald said suspiciously before ignoring it. "Whatever then, anyway I'm not tired. I'd rather have something to eat. You've got the celebratory feast going on, haven't you?"

"Well..." Dumbledore said, clearly startled. "Yes, but surely –"

"Then its settled." Emerald grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Let's go and great my new subjects."

As soon as Emerald entered the Great Hall, a group of six Hufflepuffs quickly ran behind him and began to follow him. Emerald turned to look at them when Draco suddenly put his arm around Emerald's shoulder.

"Emerald!" His voice was filled with laughter. "Congratulations on your new title. Oh don't mind them," he caught Emerald's attention again when he tried to turn around to look at the Hufflepuffs. "One doesn't look at the help," he said as though lecturing an infant on table manners. "Now then, I have a great deal to teach you now that you're a King!"

"Such as..." Emerald said suspiciously.

"How to be a king of course!" Draco said as they passed the Ravenclaw table. "For example..." He grabbed a goblet full of juice and poured it on the ground. Reaching behind Emerald, he grabbed a Hufflepuff and threw him on the floor directly on the puddle of liquid before proceeding to step over him.

"Thanks..." Emerald said in slight confusion.

"You're, ouch, welcome." The Hufflepuff said in misery as Emerald stepped on his back.

"So anyway," Emerald began to ask. "So what's been happening since I left?"

"Ah..." Draco said, smirking a little. "Where to start? For starters, the Durmstrang lot no longer have a place to stay in since you destroyed their boat. The French have all had apologetic fits after hearing how you treated Fleur and her little sister and are threatening to pull out of the competition altogether, and Cedric...well...I'm afraid he didn't make it."

"Cedric didn't make it...?" Emerald gasped, stopping in his footsteps.

"Yeah, he didn't make it out of the water. As far as we know, your new regent of the Merpeople has taken a liking to him. The Ministry have been doing what they can to retrieve him, but of course if they do it'll cause a huge international scandal. So for now, we're leaving him in their capable hands."

_Meanwhile, a mile away underwater..._

"AGGGHHHHHHH!"

_Back in Hogwarts..._

"But anyway, you've achieved a level of popularity that I would've thought unbelievable!"

Emerald glanced at Draco, "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing you've been rated by Slytherin to be the most influential members since one of our members in the 1940s. The Hufflepuff's have agreed to acknowledge you as their deity and the Gryffindors are spitting feathers over your victory."

"What about the Ravenclaws?"

"Who cares?"

As they sat down, a House Elf suddenly popped in front of Emerald. "Top of ye' morning, mi'lord." A strange looking creature with baggy clothing and big ears grinned loathsomely at him.

Emerald could only blink in surprise at the ugly looking little bastard. "Draco..." He said incredulously. "What the hell is that?"

"That?" Draco asked. "It's a House Elf."

"Yes Draco, I know it's a House Elf. But what is it doing on my plate and smearing questionable substances over it?"

"Well, you are a Champion and a member of the Monarchy. It's not surprising they assigned to you your own personal House Elf."

"Ok...so why does it have a Irish accent?"

"I have no idea. Pumpkin Juice?" Draco poured it into Emerald's goblet.

"Irish it up for ye, milord?"

Emerald spontaneously almost began to break out in tears and hugged the little creature. "I love you," he began to sob.

"Now Irish it, you little bastard."


	23. Apology

**A long overdue apology**

I have two apologies. I would first like to apologise for the misleading email that will have arrived in your mailboxes or the young fresh innocent mind who is now as broken and mad as any who have ever read this story. My second apology is for never really giving a clue as to the status of this novel. As many of you may have realised by now, Harry Potter and the Forced Hero rewrite has been dead now for a very long time.

It should have hopefully become obvious to any reader who read my fiction from the beginning that this was never initially intended as being crack. Yet, crack it became. I kinda gave up halfway through the fiction when I realised I never really had a plot nor any real idea about where I was taking this. I decided to turn it into one of the most stupid and idiotic stories possible to read. And for some reason it turned out you all seemed to like it! Strange people that you are...

Anyway, my point is that Harry Potter and the Forced Hero rewrite has, like its original, been officially abandoned. I would like to thank all of you who has read this for honouring me with reading up to this chapter. It has been an honour.

As of 17/07/2011 at 23.29 (English time), Harry Potter and the Forced Hero: Rewrite has:

616 reviews  
217,938 hits  
78 C2 Communities  
588 favourites  
682 alerts

Thank you and goodnight :)

Yours, Kaeim


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